Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Palm Beach County
The Annette Urso Rickel Foundation is proud to support Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Palm Beach County, a book-gifting program that mails a free, age-appropriate book every month to enrolled children from birth until their fifth birthday, at no cost to their families. Dolly Parton founded the Imagination Library in 1995 as a tribute to her father, who never had the chance to learn to read, and the program has since gifted hundreds of millions of books to children around the world.
The Palm Beach County program launched in 2020. Its local partner, the NCT Foundation founded by Christen and Nicholas Thompson, enrolls families and covers the monthly cost of the books, while The Dollywood Foundation handles selection and delivery. By 2026 the program had gifted more than 38,000 books to some 2,000 children across the county. A child enrolled at birth builds a home library of 60 books before the first day of kindergarten.
How the Rickel Foundation supports it. Our support for the Imagination Library has come through the annual Run for Reading 5k at Commons Park in Royal Palm Beach, the program’s signature fundraiser, where every dollar raised pays for books for local children, and through direct gifts to The Dollywood Foundation, which runs the program, beginning with a $6,250 grant in 2023. In August 2026, in honor of Dolly Parton, our Board committed a further $20,000 to the Imagination Library, and we look forward to supporting the program for years to come.
For a foundation devoted to STEAM education, early literacy is where everything else begins. A child who grows up with books at home arrives at school ready to read, and ready to be curious about science, math, and the arts. Families in Palm Beach County can enroll a child for free, and the fifth annual Run for Reading 5k takes place on Saturday, November 7, 2026.
Project News & Stories
- A Message From The Board of Directors of the Annette Urso Rickel Foundation
In honor of Dolly Parton, the Rickel Foundation is awarding $20,000 to the Imagination Library. - Photos from Imagination Library Run for Reading 5k
Photos from the 4th Annual Run for Reading 5k organized by PBC Imagination Library for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.