Parton expanding her literacy program

Parton is expanding her philanthropic work with children.

Detroit, May 17: Dolly Parton says she`s expanding her philanthropic work with children through a partnership with the United Way of America.The entertainer says her Imagination Library and the United Way have set a goal to provide free books monthly to 1 million children by 2014. That`s double what the literacy initiative now serves.

She joined Brian Gallagher, chief executive of the national nonprofit, to make the announcement at a conference in Detroit on Friday. Parton also performed her hit "9 to 5." The program founded by Parton in her home state of Tennessee in the mid-`90s operates in the U.S., Canada and Britain. She recently spent several weeks in New York working on "9 to 5: The Musical," a stage version of the 1980 movie in which she starred. Bureau Report