East Tennessee native brings Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to Charlotte County

Shawn Gilstad, originally from East Tennessee, says his life changed after meeting Dolly Parton inside a Walmart when he was 13 years old, inspiring him to later bring her Imagination Library program to Charlotte County. "Dolly had a way of inspiring people and she inspired me and all these years later, working for Imagination Library and, making her dreams and my dreams come true," Gilstad said. As he grew up, Gilstad wanted to make a difference and support Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. After moving to the Gulf Coast, he held a fundraiser, raised money, and contacted the foundation to ask where to send the funds. "The reply I got was, you move somewhere that doesn't have an affiliate. Would you like to start one? and I did. So I took $5,000 and partnered with the Charlotte Players. And we started a million books out and 260,000 books later, 13,000 kids were going strong. Making Dolly's dream happen right here in Charlotte County," Gilstad said. The Imagination Library is not a physical library but a program that allows parents to register their children from birth to age 5 to receive a free book every month personalized with the child’s name. So far, the Charlotte County affiliate has mailed out 267,000 books. "You know, by the time they get all of the books, they get 66 books. They have their own little library. So they're going in to kindergarten with a whole collection of books already reading," Gilstad said. Gilstad expressed sadness over the loss of Dolly Parton, saying it hasn’t fully hit him yet. He hopes to continue making her proud and growing the Charlotte County Imagination Library. The program is hosting its 14th Annual Comedy for a Cause fundraiser, which benefits the Charlotte Players and the Charlotte County Dolly Parton Imagination Library. DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.