Dolly Parton to Receive the LA Press Club’s Public Service Award
Industry: Advertising & Marketing
Legendary artist/entertainer Dolly Parton is honored for her Imagination Library and her contribution of 100 million books to children, giving them an appetite for reading.
Los Angeles, CA (PRUnderground) April 9th, 2018
American singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, author, businesswoman and humanitarian, Dolly Parton, has been named the 2018 Los Angeles Press Club’s Bill Rosendahl Public Service Awardee for Contributions to Civic Life.
Dolly Parton is not just a legendary artist and entertainer, she is a dedicated philanthropist and the founder of the Imagination Library. She has given away 100 million books to children and has been hailed as “a champion of early childhood literacy.”
“I am proud to receive the Bill Rosendahl Public Service Award for Contributions to Civic Life in the honor of the millions of children who are reading these books around the world, making them wiser, wittier and preparing them for a happy and productive future,” said Dolly Parton.
“Dolly is one of the world’s greatest performers but her talent goes beyond singing and songwriting. As she has proven in her long career she is someone who really cares for children. And she has a special place in her heart for working class Americans,” said Press Club President Chris Palmeri,” Bureau Chief of Bloomberg Los Angeles.
The Imagination Library started as a small, local effort to help kids in Dolly’s native Sevier County, Tennessee and has grown to reach children in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, as well as Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom. In a recent interview she told NPR: “We never thought it would be this big. I just wanted to do something great for my dad and for my home county and, at the most, maybe a couple of counties over. But then it just took wings of its own, and I guess it was meant to be.”
Parton’s inspiration for the Imagination Library, initiated in 1995, was deeply personal. Her father, Robert Lee Parton. like many people of his generation, was unable to attend school and did not learn to read and write. From a young age he was needed at home to help support his family. It is in his name that she has brought the gift of literacy to the countless children who know the legendary star as “The Book Lady.”
The Public Service Award will be presented at the 60th SoCal Journalism Awards Gala on Sunday, June 24th at the Biltmore Millennium Hotel, downtown LA.
More than 500 journalists and media executives will attend this prestigious event.
In addition to honoring Dolly Parton at the LAPC Gala Event, NBC News’ Lester Holt will receive the Joseph M Quinn Award for Lifetime Achievement, Los Angeles Times Editor Kimi Yoshino will receive the President’s Award for Impact on Media and imprisoned Saudi Arabian Writer and Blogger Raif Badawi will be honored with the Daniel Pearl Award for Courage and Integrity in Journalism (Badawi’s wife and three children will travel from their new home in Canada to accept the award, as he is still in a Saudi prison).
Proceeds from the Gala are the largest source of income for this 501(c)3 non-profit organization that speaks for journalists across all media platforms. All contributions are tax-deductible.
For more information about this event or to sponsor, advertise or buy tickets go to www.LApressclub.org or contact Executive Director Diana Ljungaeus at 310.210.1860 / Diana-AT-LApressclub.org.
About Los Angeles Press Club
The Los Angeles Press Club stands as an organization devoted to improving the spirit of journalism and journalists, raising the industry’s standards, strengthening its integrity and improving its reputation all for the benefit of the community at large. Serving the Southland since 1913, it is the only Southern California journalism group that speaks for all journalists working for daily and weekly newspapers, radio & TV, magazines, documentary films and online.
