Dolly Parton's Most Charitable Endeavors Of All Time

Dolly Parton has consistently strived to make the world a better place with her beautiful voice, boundless positivity, and countless charitable endeavors. Speaking to People in 2021, the "Jolene" hitmaker detailed how she had experienced the tremendous joy of watching her dreams come true, so Parton made it her life's mission to help others feel the same way. The country icon further asserted that she was completely hooked on the happiness that came with making someone else's life better, so she endeavored to continue being a philanthropist for as long as possible. 

In 2022, Parton was honored with the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy for her generosity through the years. During her acceptance speech, the prolific singer-songwriter shared that she used her instincts for her donations, confirming, "I just give from my heart." Parton continued, "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 feel it, then I will," (via YouTube). While there's no doubt that the Grammy winner has been a shining light in our world, she always believes there's more to be done. 

When Parton appeared on "Today" in December 2022, she explained that she wanted to see a brighter and kinder world in 2023 so she made a New Year's resolution: "I'm going to try my best to bring as much joy as I can and lift people up as much as I can." While these words may be specific to the year, it seems like she has followed them for decades. 

In 1988, Dolly Parton set up her very own charity, The Dollywood Foundation. The "9 to 5" songstress learned that her beloved birthplace, Sevier County, had a glaring problem: 35% of students weren't graduating high school. Parton decided to take matters into her own hands and, in 1989, she awarded $500 to any Sevier County high schooler who had set their sights on Hiwassee College. Per Parton's website, the singer-songwriter had a heart-to-heart with seventh and eighth graders who were about to make the crucial decision about furthering their education, offering an interesting proposition that made it whole lot easier — she vowed to give $500 to every student who earned their high school diploma. 

There was just one condition: Every student in the auditorium had to partner up with someone and work together to ensure they could both finish their schooling. Her proposition, which came to be known as The Buddy Program, worked its magic as the dropout rates plummeted to a mere 6% while Parton stayed true to her word and personally gave every single graduate a $500 check. Then, in 2000, The Dolly Parton Scholarship came into existence. As noted by The Dollywood Foundation's website, the living legend awards a $15,000 scholarship yearly to individuals "who have a dream they wish to pursue and who can successfully communicate their plan and commitment to realize their dreams."

Dolly Parton continued to promote children's education through the Imagination Library initiative, which she founded in 1995. The program's website notes that it aims to increase literacy in children by developing a love for reading at an early age. The Imagination Library accomplishes this goal by mailing free books to children from birth to the age of five. Though the initiative was initially limited to Sevier County, it soon went national and then, international as kids in Ireland, Australia, and Canada can reap its benefits. 

In June 2023, the "Islands In The Stream" hitmaker proudly shared a press release to announce that she had distributed over 200 million books through the program. This feat was made even more impressive by the fact that Parton's father served as an inspiration for the Imagination Library. In a YouTube video for the foundation, the "Silver Dagger" singer shared that she had always admired his intelligence, adding, "But I knew in my heart that his inability to read probably kept him from seeing all his dreams come true." 

She continued, "So, inspiring kids to love to read became my passion and my mission because if you can read, you can teach yourself anything." Ultimately, though, Parton believes it's never too late to learn. In 2022, she announced that Dollywood Parks & Resorts would make up 100% of education costs for any employee pursuing further education.

The 2016 Great Smoky Mountains wildfires caused $2 billion in losses to Gatlinburg and took the lives of 14 people. In the aftermath, Dolly Parton started the My People Fund to help those affected. Through the initiative, the "Here You Come Again" songstress gave $1,000 per month for a 6-month period to suffering families. Her website chalked up the My People Fund's donations to the families at a whopping $8.9 million. Additionally, they contributed $200,000 to several volunteer fire departments to thank them for their services in curbing the wildfires. Parton evidently didn't want students to miss out on education as their families tried to get their lives back on track after the natural disaster, so she offered a $4,500 scholarship to every high school junior and senior who lost their home. 

Then, in 2021, Middle Tennessee was gravely affected by flash floods. Parton, her businesses, and the Dollywood Foundation all joined forces to contribute $700,000 to United Way of Humphreys County. In a statement on her website, the Grammy winner confirmed that she made the donation to a charity of her friend Loretta Lynn's choice due to her contributions to the 2016 fire relief efforts, writing, "It meant so much to me that Loretta — and so many folks — were ready to give in any way they could. This was just one small way I could help Loretta's people for all they did to help my people."

For a 4-year period starting in 1993, Dolly Parton's niece, Hannah Dennison, underwent leukemia treatment at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital. Denison subsequently went into remission and her country star aunt was eternally grateful for the hospital's efforts. Thus, in 2017, she made a $1 million donation to the children's hospital. About a year later, they honored Parton and her niece with the Hannah Dennison Butterfly Garden. Evidently, the "I Will Always Love You" hitmaker had found a new way to change the world with her philanthropy. And, in April 2020, Parton made a $1 million donation to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and part of that money went towards the research of the Moderna vaccine for COVID-19. During an appearance on BBC One's "The One Show," the singer-songwriter remained humble and clarified that her donation was just one of the many millions that made the vaccine possible. 

"But I just felt so proud to have been part of that little seed money that will hopefully grow into something great and help to heal this world," she gushed. Then, in June 2022, she contributed $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center to aid their pediatric infectious disease research. In a statement, Parton disclosed the passionate reason behind it: "I love all children. No child should ever have to suffer, and I'm willing to do my part to try and keep as many of them as I can as healthy and safe as possible," (via Today).

In 2007, Dolly Parton once again served the community in her hometown of Sevier County by hosting a benefit concert to raise money for a new hospital. As reported by Today, ticket sales from the event amounted to a whopping $500,000. The hospital received another $250,000 from Parton's business ventures, the Dollywood theme park, and the Dixie Stampede dinner theater. In addition to all her contributions to the 2016 Smoky Mountains wildfires, she also hosted the "Smoky Mountains Rise: A Benefit for the My People Fund" telethon to raise relief funds. The star-studded event included performances from the likes of Parton's decades-long friend and fellow country icon, Reba McEntire, Cyndi Lauper, and Chris Stapleton. At the end of the 3-hour-long broadcast, Parton and her friends had managed to raise about $9 million. 

Parton's contributions to society didn't go unnoticed either. In 2022, the "When I Get Where I'm Going" songstress received Jeff Bezos' Courage and Civility Award. As part of it, Parton also got $100 million to give away to her preferred charities. In her acceptance speech, she stayed humble as ever, reasoning, "When people are in a position to help, you should help." She continued with a promise: "I know that I've always said I try to put my money where my heart is. I will do my best to do good things with this money," (via X, formerly known as Twitter). In addition to all these good deeds, Parton once saved a 9-year-old's life.