Country music legend Dolly Parton is doing something truly incredible to help children in 21 states and around the world.

Parton’s Imagination Library

Dolly Parton’s father grew up in poverty and never learned to read. That’s what inspired her to launch her Imagination Library nearly thirty years ago in the hopes of improving literacy.

This week, Parton’s Imagination Library expanded to Missouri and Kentucky. They are now two of 21 states where all children under the age of 5 can enroll to have books mailed to their homes each month.

Parton, 78, celebrated this by traveling to both states on Tuesday. During each stop, she told the powerful story of her father Robert Lee Parton, who passed away back in 2000.

“In the mountains, a lot of people never had a chance to go to school because they had to work on the farms,” she said while speaking at the Folly Theater in Kansas City, Missouri. “They had to do whatever it took to keep the rest of the family going.”

Parton’s Father Was ‘Embarrassed’ He Couldn’t Read

Parton has described her father as being “one of the smartest people I’ve ever known.” However, it always embarrassed him that he could not read.

This made a huge impression on Parton, who was the fourth of her father’s twelve children. In 1995, she launched her Imagination Library in her home state of Tennessee. It didn’t take long for the program to spread like wildfire.

These days, the Imagination Library sends out more than three million books every month. It has expanded to 21 states and other countries like Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Australia. In the 29 years that the Imagination Library has been around, it has sent books to more than 240 million children.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear boasted that the Imagination Library reaches children in all 120 counties of his state. His wife Brittany said that over 120,000 Kentucky children, including nearly half of all preschoolers in the state, are enrolled in the program. She added that the Imagination Library encourages families to read together at no cost to them.

“It’s really a great way to teach children when they’re very young to learn to love books and to learn to read,” Parton said while appearing in Lexington.

Related: Dolly Parton Steps Up To Give An Incredible $1 Million Donation

Parton Wanted To Honor Her Father

Despite all of her accomplishments in the music world, Parton looks at her Imagination Library as being one of her greatest achievements.

“The kids started calling me the ‘book lady,’” Parton said. “And Daddy was more proud of that than he was that I was a star. But Daddy got to feeling like he had really done something great as well.”

Parton is grateful that her father lived long enough to see the Imagination Library come to fruition.

“That was kind of my way to honor my dad, because the Bible says to honor your father and mother,” she said. “And I don’t think that just means, ‘just obey.’ I think it means to bring honor to their name and to them.”

Related: Dolly Parton, 77, Opens Up About Being ‘Bullied’ For Being ‘Very Poor’ As A Child

Parton’s Legacy

When asked what she wants her legacy to be during her appearance in Kentucky, Parton was as humble as ever. She told the crowd that she simply wants to be remembered as “a good ole girl.”

“Of course I want to be known as a songwriter and a singer, but I honestly can say that the Imagination Library has meant as much, if not more, to me than nearly anything that I’ve ever done,” Parton said.

You would be hard pressed to think of a celebrity who has done more to help the world than Parton has. God bless you, Dolly Parton!

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