Dolly Parton must work more than 9 to 5 to balance his music and impressive sound charitable efforts.
In 2022, Parton received the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy for her decades of good deeds and gushed about how “proud” she was to receive the recognition. His acts of kindness include founding the Dollywood Foundation and donating funds to vaccine research after the coronavirus pandemic outbreak in 2020.
“What an honor it is to be here. I’m really honored and proud to be among these great people and to do all these great things to help the world, as they say,” Parton said in October 2022 as accept the medal. “I just give from my heart. I never know what I’m going to do or why I’m going to do it. I just see a need and if I can fill it, I will.
Glitter! Fringe! Mini dresses! Dolly Parton is as much a fashion icon as she is a music legend. The “Just Because I’m a Woman” singer has never shied away from making a style statement on the red carpet and beyond. From steamy outfits to skintight ensembles, she has slayed it all. However (…)
THE Grammy winner continued: “If I can just do my little part in this world, then that’s all I ask for in this world. I am very proud of the Imagination Library, so it is very dear to me. I just hope I can continue to do good things.
Scroll down to see some of Parton’s most charitable moments:
1988
Parton started her nonprofit, the Dollywood Foundation, in April 1988 in Sevierville, Tennessee. The goal was to increase the number of local high school graduates and reduce the dropout rate.
The “Jolene” singer also created the Buddy Program, which gave $500 to every seventh and eighth grader in the area who graduated from high school. The launch was a success, with the abandonment rate dropping from 35 percent to just 6 percent, according to the foundation’s website.
1991
As part of her successful Dollywood theme park, Parton opened the Eagle Mountain Sanctuary. The space spans 30,000 square feet and is managed by the American Eagle Foundations Refuges to help keep bald eagles safe.
1995
The musician expanded the Dollywood Foundation with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. The program provides children under five with a book each month to help them become literate and continue their learning in all regions of the country – and internationally. In 2018, Parton reached a milestone when the Imagination Library sent out her 100 millionth book.
2000
The foundation launched five $15,000 scholarships, called the Dolly Parton Scholarship, for Sevier County high school students to help students continue their education at an accredited university. “The scholarships are for students who have a dream they want to pursue and can successfully communicate their plan and commitment to achieving their dreams,” the website reads.
Dolly Parton and her husband, Carl Dean, have been married for more than 50 years, but they are rarely seen together — and that’s how they like it. The country icon first met her future spouse when she moved to Nashville in 1964 to begin her music career. They got married in less than two (…)
2007
Parton once again gave back to her community by helping raise $500,000 for Sevier County Hospital by hosting a benefit concert. Dollywood and Parton’s Dixie Stampede dinner theater each pledged $250,000, totaling $1 million for the fundraiser. The funds were used to open LeConte Medical Center, which is a hospital and cancer center, in 2010.
2016
Following the devastating wildfires that ravaged the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee, Parton created the My People Fund under the umbrella of the Dollywood Foundation. The fund distributed $1,000 per month for six months to families who lost their primary residence. The foundation revealed in 2017 that more than $12 million had been raised and distributed to those in need over the past year.
2017
After releasing his children’s album, I believe in youPatron donated $1 million to Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The donation was made in honor of Parton’s niece who was treated for leukemia at the hospital.
2020
In spring 2020, Parton was one of many celebrities who designed a spatula for Williams-Sonoma’s charitable kitchenware collection. Parton’s design helped raise money for the company’s annual Cook for a Cause campaign.
The same year, the actress made headlines for donating money to coronavirus vaccine research following the global pandemic outbreak. Parton gave $1 million to support Moderna’s vaccine research, which was reportedly found to be 94.5 percent effective against the virus.
“I’m just happy that whatever I do can help someone else,” Parton said. Today at the time. “When I donated money to the COVID fund, I just wanted it to do some good. Obviously this is the case. Let’s just hope we find a cure very soon.
2021
When Humphreys County, Tennessee experienced unprecedented flooding and damage, Parton stepped in and raised $700,000 to get people back on their feet. Parton’s Dollywood and Pigeon Forge Dinner Shows donated a portion of ticket sales during two October 2021 dates to benefit the United Way of Humphreys County.
Parton’s late friend, Loretta Lynn, was responsible for choosing the charity. “After the 2016 Sevier County wildfires, Loretta was one of the first to come forward with whatever she could” Parton said in a statement. “It meant so much to me that Loretta – and so many people – were willing to give in any way they could. This was just a small way for me to help the people of Loretta for all they have done to help my people.
Put their money where their mouth is! Besides walking the red carpet and living glamorous lives, these celebrities, including Angelina Jolie, Lauren Conrad and Matt Damon, work hard to make the world a better place. Find out about their charities!
Earlier that year, Parton revealed that she had used some of the royalties from Whitney Houston’s cover of his song “I Will Always Love You” to give back to a black neighborhood in Nashville. “It was mostly black families and people who lived there,” Parton said during an August 2021 appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohensharing that she has invested in an office complex in the area. “It was quite a shopping center. And I thought, “This is the perfect place for me, since it was Whitney.” »
She continued: “I just thought, ‘That was great.’ I’m going to be here with his people, who are also my people. And so I love that I spent that money on a resort. And I think, “This is the house that Whitney built.” »
2022
Parton announced in February 2022 that Dollywood – through its operating partner Herschend Enterprises – would begin covering 100 percent of tuition, fees and book costs for any employee who goes to college to further their education.
Four months later, the Singer of “Here You Come Again” donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center to help the hospital’s pediatric infectious disease research.
2024
Parton personally promised a million dollars to the Mountain Ways Foundation, which helped East Tennessee communities affected by Hurricane Helene. His donation would be matched by his businesses, including the Dollywood Foundation and Dollywood Parks and Resorts. The East Tennessee native said she will make the donations in partnership with Walmart.