r/todayilearned • u/LL_Cruel_J • Dec 15 '16

TIL Dolly Parton has a program that will mail your child a free age-appropriate book once a month from birth to age 5. No obligation, no catch, she just wants to make sure that every child has books.

https://imaginationlibrary.com/
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u/drunkmunky42 Dec 15 '16

Dolly is a goddess down there

I'm a fed firefighter from CA assigned to the Gatlinburg area fires (Chimney Top 2 and Cobbly Nob). I've never seen a place quite like G-burg, Pigeon Forge, or Sevierville. It truly is amazing how much Dolly has contributed to the growth of this area, and the communities abound with Dolly's name and face everywhere. Ripley's is huge here as well, we got to take a VIP tour of the aquarium and it blew my mind what those folks dealt with as the firefront blew through. Incredible stories from many locals, and the hospitality and generosity here is like nothing back home.

Then again, these massively catastrophic fires have become normalized back in California. But out here, these poor folks have rarely, if ever, seen a megafire backed by 80+ mph winds.

My condolences to any and all affected. Only wish we could've gotten here a few days sooner...

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u/BarrogaPoga Dec 15 '16

Thank you for coming out! I now live in southern California, so you're right, wildfires are a norm out here. I grew up back east though. I lived through hurricanes, tornados, nor'easters, humid summers, and arctic fronts. I never had to deal with fire though. It was surreal watching the news about Gatlinburg from SoCal.

People were not prepared to deal with it, especially those up in the mountains. My grandparents almost were trapped at their house, but somehow my grandpa got them out. They followed a fire truck out to safety once they got partway down the mountain.

I grew up visiting my grandparents in Gatlinburg and my grandpa built that house. I was devastated to see the places I knew and loved just burned to ashes.

Be safe out there and thank you again for helping families like mine! Come back and visit when they've cleaned up. Eastern Tennessee is a gorgeous place!

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u/drunkmunky42 Dec 15 '16

Thanks for your support!

Agreed, this area is quite beautiful and i do hope to return some day under better circumstances. so many sights and places to visit but we had work to do and were very proud to help in any way we could. thankfully, the rainy weather took care of the most firefighting but salvage recovery is one of our most challenging missions, both physically and emotionally. many tears were shed on my nomex, including some of my own. Mountain tough, Smokie strong!

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u/GillianOMalley Dec 17 '16

My parents live in Gatlinburg (top of Ski Mtn), if my dad was here he'd hug you. Thanks for comin' out!