[0:00] Good morning everybody.
[0:05] There are few people who've
given the world a Nashville,
[0:09] something as lasting and
impactful as Dolly Parton.
[0:13] She gave us the belief that a
child's dreams should never be
[0:17] limited by the circumstances
into which they're born.
[0:20] That's a value we hold dear as
we work to make sure that every
[0:24] child in Nashville has an
[0:25] opportunity to reach
their potential.
[0:27] Dolly understood this
lesson personally.
[0:30] Her family in East
Tennessee didn't have much.
[0:33] Her father struggled to read,
[0:35] and books were a
precious commodity.
[0:37] She turned that personal
testimony into one of the most
[0:40] consequential acts of
[0:42] generosity in modern
American life.
[0:45] What we now know as the
Imagination Library started in
[0:48] Sevier County, where she would
mail a free, carefully selected
[0:52] book every month to children
from birth to age five.
[0:56] Governor Phil Bredesen worked
with Dolly to make that a
[0:59] statewide program.
[1:00] Now it's available nationwide
and its impact has even spread
[1:04] globally to multiple countries.
[1:06] What started as a gift to
children where she grew up
[1:11] is now the reason 300 million
books are in the hands of
[1:16] children around the globe.
[1:18] In Nashville, we've
embraced that mission.
[1:20] Our Nashville Public Library
has partnered with Imagination
[1:23] Library, which in Middle
Tennessee is facilitated by our
[1:26] wonderful partners at United
Way to put books and early
[1:29] literacy tools within reach
for thousands of children here.
[1:33] We've even had special dolly
themed library cards, and this
[1:37] is maybe the perfect time to
consider bringing those back.
[1:40] As a father of two girls who
were faithful subscribers to
[1:44] the Imagination Library, there
was something special each
[1:47] month when the book arrived at
[1:49] the door with their names on it.
[1:50] Just like Dolly.
[1:52] That book's arrival was magical.
[1:54] Dolly knew that literacy
wasn't just a school's issue.
[1:57] It is an issue of possibility,
of opportunity, and one that
[2:01] can reshape a life
for my daughters.
[2:03] Books have given them
[2:04] vocabulary, imagination
and confidence.
[2:08] Their first dreams were built
on the foundation of what they
[2:11] have learned from reading.
[2:14] It's a distinct honor to have
been able to work directly with
[2:17] Dolly, her foundation, and
her business team on so many
[2:21] projects meaningful to her in
Nashville, because she reminded
[2:25] all of us that success is
fleeting unless you lift others
[2:29] as you go.
[2:30] Tennessee is lucky to call
Dolly one of our own, but her
[2:33] greatest gift isn't 9 to 5,
my Tennessee Mountain Home, or
[2:37] even her unique
version of Rocky Top.
[2:40] It's the millions of little
moments in living rooms across
[2:43] the world when a child opened a
[2:44] book and discovered
a bigger world.
[2:47] It's her encouragement to all
of us to love every moment.
[2:52] That's her enduring legacy.
[2:53] That's what we're going to
build upon in Nashville.
[2:57] And one way we're doing that is
through our first of its kind.
[3:00] Begin. Begin Bright program,
which puts little libraries
[3:04] filled with Dolly's imagination.
[3:05] Library books in every child
care center in Nashville.
[3:10] Teachers and parents get
literacy resources to help
[3:12] their young learners, and so
far, we've installed little
[3:15] libraries in 69 of our child
care centers, and that number
[3:18] is growing quickly.
[3:20] When we finish, we'll be the
first city in the country to
[3:24] pull this off and
make it permanent.
[3:26] One of Mpls program leaders
for Begin Bright is here, and I
[3:29] want to thank you all for your
work as well as your service on
[3:32] the Imagination Library
Advisory Board here in Middle
[3:36] Tennessee, and I hope Dolly
would be proud of the impact
[3:39] Begin bright will have on the
incredibly formative years of a
[3:42] child's life from ages 0 to 5.
[3:45] We also carry this legacy
forward through our great
[3:48] library system.
[3:49] Our children's librarians
and staff are long standing
[3:52] champions of early literacy.
[3:54] Terry Thomas is one of them.
[3:55] She launched the Nashville
Public Library's Early literacy
[3:58] program for families.
[3:59] Read to Rise, and I'd like
to invite Terry to share more
[4:02] about that work and the impact
she's seen these books have on
[4:05] the lives of our children.
[4:07] So, Terry, thank you.
[4:13] Good morning.
[4:14] I had the great fortune of
becoming a librarian in 2002,
[4:19] just two years after Dolly
Parton's Imagination Library
[4:22] expanded from Sevier
County to the country.
[4:26] When caregivers bring their
babies to storytime, I ask, do
[4:29] you get Imagination
Library books?
[4:32] When a new grandparent visits
the library, I ask, is the baby
[4:36] getting imagination
library books?
[4:37] Here's how you sign up.
[4:40] While we here at the library do
offer books for free every day,
[4:44] up to 100 at a time.
[4:46] We do ask that
children return them.
[4:50] This can be very difficult for
little ones who have fallen in
[4:53] love with a particular book.
[4:56] So when Imagination Library
books arrive at their home with
[5:00] their name on it and they get
to keep them forever and ever.
[5:06] That is truly a special gift
to honor the generosity and the
[5:11] wonderful life of Dolly Parton.
[5:13] Um, please join us for
storytimes at your library
[5:17] throughout the city over the
next few weeks to hear some of
[5:20] your librarians favorite books
from the Imagination Library.
[5:26] Um, next up, we have Erica
Mitchell, um, president and CEO
[5:30] of United Way.
[5:36] Thanks so much, Terry.
[5:38] Thank you, Mayor
[5:40] Nash. On behalf of our team
and the families that we serve
[5:44] across Middle Tennessee, I'm
[5:46] grateful to stand
with everyone here.
[5:48] It feels like a little bit of
a family reunion in celebrating
[5:52] Dolly Parton, an artist, a
[5:54] philanthropist, a
champion for children.
[5:57] So we know Dolly Parton through
songs that crossed generations
[6:00] and borders.
[6:02] But for millions of children.
[6:03] She was also the book lady.
[6:06] She was the person whose name
arrived on a package in the
[6:09] mailbox every month, carrying
a story just for them.
[6:13] And I'll just share that one of
my team members, a lot of our
[6:15] team members have children who
[6:16] receive Imagination
Library books.
[6:18] And one of the little girls
said when she heard about
[6:21] Dolly, who's going
to send me the books?
[6:23] Who's going to send my books?
[6:25] And we said, we're going to
[6:26] make sure those
books keep coming.
[6:27] We'll make sure
they keep coming.
[6:29] But Dolly started the
Imagination Library in 1995 in
[6:33] her home county in East
Tennessee, inspired by her
[6:36] father's inability to read.
[6:38] In 2013, United Way of Greater
Nashville became the local
[6:41] program partner, and.
[6:43] Her idea was simple
but powerful.
[6:46] Every child should have books
[6:48] at home, regardless
of family income.
[6:51] She understood that when a
child opens a book, that child
[6:55] also opens a door to language
[6:58] and confidence, curiosity
and possibility.
[7:01] And today, that vision reaches
children all around the world.
[7:04] More than 3 million books are
[7:06] mailed each month
here in Tennessee.
[7:08] Every child from birth to age
five is eligible to receive a
[7:12] high quality, age appropriate
[7:14] book at no cost to their family.
[7:17] Across Middle Tennessee.
[7:19] That looks like more than five.
[7:20] I'm sorry.
[7:21] 5000 children received the
books, and more than 500 000
[7:25] books that are distributed
through the program every year.
[7:29] Think about what that means.
[7:31] Thousands of children hearing
this book is for you, just like
[7:34] Terry said.
[7:36] Thousands of caregivers
pausing to read one story.
[7:40] Thousands of home libraries
growing one mailbox at a time.
[7:45] The impact is bigger than
the books themselves.
[7:48] Reading together helps
build vocabulary.
[7:50] It strengthens the bond between
children and caregivers and
[7:53] prepares young learners to
enter school ready to succeed.
[7:57] Because the first years of life
are such a critical period for
[8:00] brain and language development,
every shared story matters.
[8:05] At United Way of Greater
Nashville, we are honored to
[8:08] help carry this promise
forward in partnership with the
[8:11] Dollywood Foundation, the
Governor's Early Literacy
[8:14] Foundation, local leaders,
[8:16] donors, the library,
community partners.
[8:20] We raise the resources and
awareness needed to keep moving
[8:24] books into the hands of
children throughout the region.
[8:27] Dolly showed us that a bold
vision can begin with something
[8:30] small one child, one book,
one family reading together.
[8:35] Then it can grow into a
movement that changes what is
[8:38] possible for
generations to come.
[8:41] So today, we honor Dolly.
[8:43] Let us do more than
celebrate what she built.
[8:46] Let us recommit ourselves
to sustaining it.
[8:49] If you are the parent or the
caregiver of a child under
[8:53] five, enroll.
[8:55] And if you can give, volunteer
[8:58] or help spread
the word, join us.
[9:00] And if a child asks you to read
the same favorite book for the
[9:04] 10th or the hundredth time.
[9:06] Say yes, because in that moment
you are helping build a reader
[9:10] and a future.
[9:12] Dolly gave generations of
children more than books.
[9:15] She gave them the
joy of being read to.
[9:17] The confidence to learn and the
promise that their community
[9:20] believes in their future.
[9:22] May we honor her by keeping
that promise together.
[9:26] Thank you.
[9:37] Thank you.
[9:38] Terry. Erica.
[9:39] Um. Every area that has the
Imagination Library has a great
[9:45] local partner like United Way.
[9:46] That makes it possible.
[9:48] And if you have been to any of
our roundtables over the past
[9:51] few years, you know how much of
an impact our United Way here
[9:55] and Erica and her team
have in Middle Tennessee.
[9:59] As I said earlier, Dolly
Parton's message to all of us
[10:02] was to love every moment.
[10:04] So we're going to take every
moment to love Dolly back.
[10:07] That's why one of the
reasons we wanted to have our
[10:09] Imagination Library partners
here is today, I am proud to
[10:13] join them in proclaiming
September Imagination Library
[10:16] Month in Nashville.
[10:18] This is something we
had been planning.
[10:27] And it's one of the many ways
that I think this city and the
[10:31] people who have loved, uh,
Dolly's music, her success as a
[10:37] businesswoman, her incredible
philanthropy and her joyful
[10:42] spirit will will have ways to
continue to uplift that legacy.
[10:47] In doing so, I do hope that
in echoing Erica's call, every
[10:52] nashvillian will take a
chance to encourage a child.
[10:55] They know, a family they know
to sign up for Imagination
[10:59] Library or if you can donate.
[11:02] This wonderful program changes
the lives of countless more
[11:05] young people
[11:07] with every addition of support.
[11:09] And I want to end today with
two final reflections, the
[11:12] first on Dolly and the Labor
Day holiday that's just around
[11:16] the corner.
[11:17] Dolly Parton was a member
of two unions for 58 years.
[11:20] She was a member of the
American Federation of
[11:22] Musicians local 257 that's the
[11:25] Nashville Musicians Association.
[11:27] She also joined Sag-Aftra in
[11:29] 1969, amassing over 50
years in membership.
[11:33] Throughout her career, she
maintained her membership,
[11:36] helping other entertainers
and musicians find the fair
[11:39] treatment they deserve.
[11:40] And we know that when workers
organize, wages and benefits go
[11:44] up and safety improves not just
for those that are organizing,
[11:48] but for everyone.
[11:49] And we know too, there are some
big jobs ahead in Nashville,
[11:52] ones that will require
a lot of hard work.
[11:55] And as we continue to invest
in programs like Music City
[11:58] Construction Careers and work
with unions in the public
[12:02] sector, I'm grateful as
we approach Labor Day.
[12:05] To all the workers who've
played such a significant role
[12:08] in building Nashville
into the city it is today.
[12:11] I hope I'll see many of you at
the Labor Day parade next week.
[12:14] A few months ago, we lost
another great woman leader,
[12:17] Rhonda McDaniel, the long
serving president of the
[12:20] Central Labor Council of
Nashville and Middle Tennessee.
[12:24] This parade was near and dear
to Wanda's heart, and I worked
[12:27] with her for more than a decade
to make sure the parade was a
[12:30] success every year.
[12:32] So I hope people will turn out
like never before to make this
[12:35] our biggest Labor
Day parade ever.
[12:38] Lastly, one final announcement
that builds on the love of
[12:41] literacy and opportunity that
Dolly was so passionate about.
[12:45] We're excited that My Brother's
Keeper Nashville has just been
[12:48] selected for the Obama
Foundation Accelerator program.
[12:52] This is a two year,
$200,000 grant initiative.
[12:56] The goal is to ensure every
Metro School student is reading
[12:58] on grade level by the
end of third grade.
[13:01] As we've talked about today,
achieving that goal starts with
[13:04] early learning, strong
families, access to books,
[13:07] excellent teaching, trusted
relationships, and coordinated
[13:11] community support.
[13:12] That's exactly what My
[13:13] Brother's Keeper offers
as an organization.
[13:15] I was proud upon taking office
to announce that we would be
[13:19] the official sponsor of the
organization, and I'm looking
[13:22] forward to joining students and
families tomorrow at the sixth
[13:25] annual My Brother's Keeper
Nashville Youth Empowerment
[13:28] Summer Summit at Martin Luther
King Junior Magnet High School,
[13:32] where one of the sessions
will focus on storytelling.
[13:35] And with that, I'll
take some questions.
[13:45] This has been a service of
the Metro Nashville Network.
[13:49] If you would like to see this
presentation again, or for more
[13:52] information on this and other
programs, visit nashville.gov.