ALLEGAN, MI (WHTC-AM/FM, Aug. 26, 2026) – Tuesday’s death of famed entertainer Dolly Parton shines a light on an aspect of her legacy that lives on along the Lakeshore.
Parton, who was one of the defining voices in country music, succumbed at the age of 80 after a brief battle with cancer. She was known for her singing, her acting, and her philanthropy, including the institution of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, which supplies books free of charge to children, from birth through age five.
This 31-year-long initiative is funded through her foundation and local community partners in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, and Australia. One of those partners is the Allegan County Community Foundation. Lauren Hunt-VanderPloeg is the foundation’s Community Impact Manager.
Earlier this month, a retired educator in the Tri-Cities restarted an effort to bring the Dolly Parton Imagination Library to the Grand Haven-Spring Lake-Ferrysburg area, looking to raise around $30,000 in order to establish the program for five years. Janet Hasselbring is working with Kent County Early Bird Books on this initiative.
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