PhilanthropyEdit
Since the mid-1980s, Parton has supported many charitable efforts, particularly in the area of literacy, primarily through her
Dollywood Foundation. Her literacy program, Dolly Parton's Imagination Library,
[128] a part of the Dollywood Foundation, mails one book per month to each enrolled child from the time of their birth until they enter kindergarten. Currently, over 1600 local communities provide the Imagination Library to almost 850,000 children each month across the U.S., Canada, the UK, Australia, and the Republic of Ireland.
[128] In 2018, Parton was honored by the Library of Congress on account of the "charity sending out its 100 millionth book".
[129] In 2006, Parton published a cookbook, Dolly's Dixie Fixin's: Love, Laughter and Lots of Good Food.
[130][131]
The Dollywood Foundation, funded from Parton's profits, has been noted for bringing jobs and tax revenues to a previously depressed region. Parton also has worked to raise money for several other causes, including the
American Red Cross and
HIV/AIDS-related charities.
[132]
In December 2006, Parton pledged $500,000 toward a proposed $90 million hospital and cancer center to be constructed in Sevierville in the name of Robert F. Thomas, the physician who delivered her. She announced a benefit concert to raise additional funds for the project. The concert played to about 8,000 people.
[133] That same year,
Emmylou Harrisand she had allowed their music to be used in a
PETA ad campaign that encouraged pet owners to keep their dogs indoors rather than chained outside.
[134]
With Tennessee Senator
Bob Corker at the rededication ceremony for the
Great Smoky Mountains National Park in September 2009
In 2003, her efforts to preserve the
bald eaglethrough the
American Eagle Foundation's sanctuary at Dollywood earned her the Partnership Award from the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[135] Parton received the
Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service from the
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars of the
Smithsonian Institution at a ceremony in Nashville on November 8, 2007.
[136] In February 2018, she donated her 100 millionth free book, a copy of Parton's children's picture book Coat of Many Colors. It was donated to the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
[137]
For her work in literacy, Parton has received various awards, including
Association of American Publishers Honors Award (2000),
Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval (2001) (the first time the seal had been awarded to a person),
American Association of School Administrators – Galaxy Award (2002), National State Teachers of the Year – Chasing Rainbows Award (2002), and Parents as Teachers National Center – Child and Family Advocacy Award (2003).
On May 8, 2009, Parton gave the
commencement speech at the graduation ceremony for the
University of Tennessee, Knoxville's College of Arts and Sciences.
[138]During the ceremony, she received an honorary
Doctor of Humane Letters from the university. It was only the second honorary degree given by the university, and in presenting the degree, the university's
Chancellor,
Jimmy Cheek, said, "Because of her career not just as a musician and entertainer, but for her role as a cultural ambassador, philanthropist and lifelong advocate for education, it is fitting that she be honored with an honorary degree from the flagship educational institution of her home state."
[139]
In response to the
2016 Great Smoky Mountains wildfires, Parton was one of a number of country music artists who participated in a telethon to raise money for victims of the fires.
[140] This was held in Nashville on December 9. In addition, Parton hosted her own telethon for the victims on December 13
[141] and reportedly raised around $9 million.
[142] Her fund, the "My People Fund", provided $1,000 a month for six months to over 900 families affected by the wildfires, finally culminating with $5,000 to each home in the final month due to increased fundraising, for a total of $10,000 per family.
[143][144][145] In 2018, the FBI honored Parton for her wildfire aid work, awarding her the 2018 Director’s Community Leadership Award at a ceremony at FBI Headquarters in Washington. The honor was bestowed by Director Christopher Wray and was accepted on the Parton’s behalf by David Dotson, the CEO of the Dollywood Foundation.
[144]
The impact of the fund's financial relief for the 2016 wildfire victims was studied by University of Tennessee College of Social Work professor Stacia West, who examined the impact of cash transfers in poverty alleviation.
[146] West surveyed 100 recipients of the emergency relief funds in April 2017 on topics including questions on housing, financial impact, physical and emotional health, and sources of support, with a follow up survey conducted in December 2017. West found that the "My People Fund", in tandem with traditional disaster response, gave families the ability to make decisions that were most beneficial to them, and concluded that unconditional cash support may be more beneficial for disaster relief than conditional financial support.
[147]The report cited the impact of the monthly financial disbursements from the "My People Fund" on residents' emergency savings: "Following the monthly disbursements of unconditional cash assistance, participants were able to return to baseline financial stability reported prior to the wildfire, and improve their ability to set aside savings for hypothetical future emergencies."
[148]
Parton has been a generous donor to
Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC). Among her gifts was a contribution to the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt Pediatric Cancer Program in honor of a friend, Professor
Naji Abumrad, and her niece, Hannah Dennison, who was successfully treated for
leukemia as a child at Children's Hospital.
[149]
In response to the
COVID-19 pandemic, Parton donated $1 million towards research at
Vanderbilt University Medical Center and encouraged those who can afford it to make similar donations.
[150] She said "I'm a very proud girl today to know I had anything at all to do with something that's going to help us through this crazy pandemic."
[151] Her donation funded the critical early stages of development of the
Moderna vaccine.