Few people are as legendary in their own lifetime as Dolly Parton. Not content with being an award winning singer/songwriter under her own steam, writing for other artists (including on Tina Turner’s debut album), her own theme park in the form of Dollywood, and not even winning a Dolly-Parton look-a-like contest, she chose to use her fame and wealth to lift other people up.
The Dollywood Foundation provided support and encouragement to students in Tennessee, with buddy programs and financial support, increasing the rate of graduations from 65% to nearly 95%.
Probably more incredibly, though, was the Imagination Library, also part of the Foundation. It was created in honor of Parton’s father who never learned to read or write, and encourages kids to read by mailing them a book every month - since its inception in 1995, over 330 million books have been mailed out to kids across Americam, Canada and beyond to encourage them to read and grow.
The list of stories goes on - funding education for Dollywood employees to go to college, raising money for the American Red Cross and other charities, donating half a million dollars towards a hospital and cancer centre, funding towards COVID-19 research, disaster relief in the wake of the wildfires in the Smoky Mountains, disaster relief after Hurricane Helene and more.