"find out who you are and do it on purpose."
The Dollies behind the wigs!
Who are the Dollies? Founded in 2020 by a small group of Dolly enthusiasts, membership in the Krewe of Dolly is open to all. As a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charitable organization, the Krewe of Dolly seeks to support literacy and provide free books to every child from birth to age five by bringing Dolly's Imagination Library to New Orleans.
What is the Imagination Library? Dolly’s Imagination Library is the flagship program of The Dollywood Foundation dedicated to promoting literacy and inspiring a love of reading by gifting books free of charge to registered children from birth to age 5. The Foundation partners with local nonprofits to build and maintain a database of registered children within a zip code to provide hand-selected, age-appropriate, high-quality books each month. As the local program partner, the Krewe of Dolly raises the funds needed to ship the books that the Imagination Library sources at low cost.
Board of Directors
From left, Kari Ayala, Sarah Post, Heather Brutz, Elizabeth Selasky, Annie Wentz. Photo by Teena Whitmore.
- Kari Ayala currently serves as the President of the Krewe of Dolly. She is the Owner/Broker of New Orleans Property Services, a boutique brokerage specializing in all things real estate. Kari's former career was in charter school education, having helped start the International School of Louisiana, worked at Esperanza Charter School and the International High School of New Orleans. She loves to travel, ski, golf, hike, eat oysters and have fun with friends and family.
- Heather Brutz is a Civil Engineer turned stay at home mom. When she's not volunteering at her kids school or running them around to various extracurricular activities, she loves to spend her free time on our nonprofit and get her creative juices flowing with crafting and costuming. Heather is always ready to share costume tips and learn more!
- Sarah Post currently serves as Director of Social Media. She is a speech-language pathologist who started her own business in 2019 serving children from various schools with dyslexia, autism spectrum disorder, and ADHD. She also works to raise money for children with brain cancer yearly on the only all women's team at Hogs for the Cause.
- Elizabeth Selasky, a former goalkeeper at Jacksonville State University, brings her passion for the city of New Orleans to the Krewe of Dolly as Treasurer. With her extensive background in mortgage lending and marketing, Elizabeth plays a pivotal role in the Krewe's fundraising for the Imagination Library. She combines her love for New Orleans with a commitment to honoring Dolly's legacy through various charitable activities and festive gatherings.
- Annie Wentz is the founding president of the Krewe of Dolly and currently serves as the Board Secretary. As an educator with over 20 years of experiences both in and out of the classroom, Annie believes in the greatness of every child and the potential unleashed through early experiences with books in the home. She currently designs curriculum for PhD Science, a national K-8 program from Great Minds. In addition to the Krewe of Dolly, Annie also serves on the board of New Orleans Science and Math Charter School, an open-admission public charter school that prepares all students for college admissions and successful careers.