09/15/2026
The Rotary Club of Wimberley will host a community book drive on September 25, 2026, as a tribute to the late Dolly Parton. Joining other events springing up across the nation, the Wimberley Rotarians are calling their event “9-2-5,” and will be held that Friday from 9 am to 5 pm with collection sites at both entrances of the Wimberley Village Library and the entrance of King Feed. Containers will be labeled.
“The focus will be on getting new and gently used books into the hands of local kids,” said local president Chris Nichols. “Since our chartering with Rotary 30 years ago, the Rotary Club of Wimberley’s primary local mission has been literacy. Throughout the years, we’ve given away new books and backpacks in partnership with Barnabas through the annual Back to School Fiesta, contributed to the Barnabas Christmas store, made a gift of new books at each Trick ‘o’ Read on the Square, and stocked gently used books in community Little Free Libraries and at the Book Nook located on the grounds of Emily Ann Theater.”
One hundred percent of the physical books collected will be donated to the Wimberley Rotary’s free book giveaways. The need is for children’s books, picture books, board books, and young adult novels. Please no adult fiction or non-fiction, and we request that the used books not be heavily damaged or torn.
The late Dolly Parton’s projects regarding book giveaways to children naturally dovetailed with Rotary’s missions. Since 2009, Rotary International and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library have partnered to provide books to young children in communities around the world. Ms. Parton was the keynote speaker on June 23, 2010 at the Rotary International Convention in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Following her presentation, she was presented the Paul Harris Fellow recognition (Rotary’s highest) for her “dedication to childhood literacy and community service.”
In addition to book giveaways, the Wimberley Rotary has sponsored reading incentives for junior high school students, tutored struggling readers at the elementary level, sponsored 2-4 high school juniors each year to a leadership conference, provided annual academic scholarships, and more.
Anyone wishing to donate money for the book projects can do so by visiting the website at rotaryclubofwimberley.com and going to the “Sponsor/Donor” page for a QR code, or through the mail at: P.O. Box 2612, Wimberley, Texas 78676. The local Rotary group meets on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month at the Wimberley Village Library meeting room from noon-1 pm. Visitors are welcome.
This “9-2-5” event is an independent community project organized by the Rotary Club of Wimberley. It is not sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or affiliated with Dolly Parton, Dolly Parton Productions, the Imagination Library, or any of their affiliates.
President Nichols adds, “In summation, Ms. Parton was a literacy partner with a common mission, and we want to take this opportunity to honor her. She was much more than a singer-songwriter; she was an educator- librarian at heart.”
