The roughly 40,000 Mecklenburg County children who receive a free book in the mail each month won't lose that delivery. Dolly Parton's Imagination Library will continue operating locally after Parton's death Tuesday, Aug. 25, at age 80, according to both the national nonprofit that runs the program and the Charlotte-based organization that administers it here.

The books will keep coming.

The Dollywood Foundation, the nonprofit Parton created to run the Imagination Library nationally, issued a statement Tuesday confirming the program will go on. The foundation said Parton and her team spent decades building something meant to last for generations, and it will.

Smart Start of Mecklenburg County CEO Mike Blackwelder echoed that confidence in an interview with WCNC on Wednesday, Aug. 26. "I think Dolly would be the one to be optimistic and see the bright side of everything," he said. "I don't think we need to… be worried about funding because I think the state will continue to help and I know the community will rally around Dolly."

How the program works locally

Smart Start brought the Imagination Library to Mecklenburg County in 2014, starting in a single zip code before expanding countywide. In 2017, North Carolina's state government began funding the program in every zip code statewide. Children from birth to age 5 can enroll and receive a free, age-appropriate book mailed to their home each month until their fifth birthday. The first book every child receives is "The Little Engine That Could."

The numbers are substantial. Mecklenburg County distributes about 375,000 books per year and has sent out roughly 5.3 million total since 2014, according to Blackwelder.

A funding scare, then recovery

The program hit a setback when North Carolina's state budget did not include Imagination Library funding for one fiscal year, cutting off state support. Rather than freeze enrollment for the county's 40,000 registered children, Smart Start covered the cost itself.

"We're not going to stop. We can't lose this momentum," Blackwelder said of that decision.

State funding resumed in July when the new fiscal year began, Blackwelder said.

Lt. Governor Rachel Hunt noted the program's statewide reach on X on Wednesday, Aug. 26, writing that thanks to Parton's Imagination Library, NC Smart Start has put millions of books in the hands of children across the state. In 2019, Parton helped celebrate Smart Start at their 25th anniversary gala, Hunt added.

How to sign up

Enrollment is open year-round. Parents and caregivers can register a child at smartstartofmeck.org or by contacting Smart Start at [email protected] or 704-943-9496. In lieu of flowers, Parton's family is asking for donations to the Imagination Library at imaginationlibrary.com.

Smart Start also maintains a network of little free libraries throughout the county for residents who want to help spread literacy beyond the program.