Dolly Parton made a special appearance Tuesday in Washington D.C., not only to celebrate a huge milestone for her book-giving literacy program, but also to launch a new venture with the nation’s largest library.

Alongside Carla Hayden, who heads the Library of Congress, the iconic country singer dedicated the 100 millionth book from her Imagination Library to the research library. Through the nonprofit, she has been donating millions of books to children for more than 20 years.

Parton also helped kick off a new initiative between the Imagination Library and the Library of Congress, in which a book will be read during a live-stream and shared with libraries across the U.S.

The award-winning singer and philanthropist read her children’s book “Coat of Many Colors” to children in the audience at Tuesday’s event.

“I did take a lot of pride in this today,” she said. “Not only for myself but also for my dad and all the little kids out there that are benefiting [from the nonprofit].”

Parton, who grew up in the Great Smoky Mountains in east Tennessee, told Hayden that she started the program in 1996 as a tribute to her father. She said he was a hardworking man but had not attended school or learned to read and write.

Parton said her family only had one book in the house as she was growing up: The Bible. She said her mother read it and told stories from it to her and her 11 siblings.

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Dolly Parton’s Literacy Program Donates its 100 Millionth Book to Library of Congress

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