Welcome to the Jesus Calling Podcast. Today we speak with country

superstar Dolly Pardon. Dolly's eclectic and impactful career has been

recognized through numerous awards she's received including Emmys has been

to recognize through numerous awards she's received, including Emmys, Oscars, Grammys, and Tony's.

Dolly's dream has been, quote, to make as many people happy as she could in this life."

Dolly had a vision back in 1995 to foster a love of reading with preschool children, so she

launched the Imagination Library, providing books monthly to children during their first five years of life.

Now, 50 years from the release of her first record, Dolly continues to speak encouragement into the lives of children by releasing her first ever

kids album titled I Believe in You, for which all proceeds go to the Imagination Library.

Dolly shares about her own childhood and what inspires her to keep giving back.

I grew up in a family of 12 kids. A of people know my story a lot of people don't my

Grandpa was a Pentecostal preacher so I grew up in the church loving the Lord

believing that Jesus loved me and that through God all things are possible.

Mama was very spiritual also.

My grandpa was my mom's dad that was a preacher.

And so they were all very musical as well.

My grandpa was a great musician, and he played the piano, he played guitar, he played the fiddle, and all of my

moms, brothers and sisters all played musical instruments. So that's where I got the music from, the spiritual side of me and the musical side of me.

My dad's people were very hardworking, you know, serious thinking, good, fun people.

So it made a good combination. So I got my work ethic from my dad, got my creativity and my musical self from mom's people.

So there was just a lot of music and a lot of love and a lot of hard work going on in that family.

And my mom and dad was just country people, farm folk.

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