With the Appalachian region of the United States hit with horrible flooding and loss of life as a result of Hurricane Helene, country queen Dolly Parton is stepping up with a $6 million relief pledge with money coming from herself, her Dollywood business empire, and in conjunction with her corporate partners at retail giant Walmart.
Parton announced the pledge in a press conference held in Newport, Tennessee, reported by the local Knoxville News Sentinel. And Parton explained why news of the hurricane has hit home for her:
"These are special people here; they're my people. I feel like all people are my people, but everyone here grew up in the mountains just like I did, so of course, I have a close connection to them…I can't stand to see anyone hurting, so I wanted to do what I could to help after these terrible floods. I hope we can all be a little light in the world for our friends, our neighbors — even strangers — during this dark time they are experiencing."
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To that end, Parton is personally donating $1 million towards hurricane relief provided by the Mountain Ways Foundation, with another $1 million coming from her family of businesses (which includes the Dollywood resort line and the Dollywood Foundation). And Parton's corporate partners at Walmart are pledging another $4 million to the same foundation, reportedly in addition to another $6 million previously pledged by the company. Here's Walmart president and CEO John Furner on the donation:
"One of the things we love most about Dolly as a partner is her incredible heart and care for her community…She reminds me of our associates who are always the first to jump to action when our communities need us. This time is no different, and we will continue to provide support until they have recovered."
The Dollywood theme park is also reported to be contributing to hurricane relief beyond just dollars and cents. The company has also donated a semi-truck stocked with drinking water, 60,000 facemasks, and other necessary supplies for relief efforts. And the Dollywood location is being used as a clearinghouse for anyone in the area who wants to donate supplies or other items to those who need them.
Parton has a prolific history with philanthropy, including the $1 million she donated toward COVID-19 vaccine research in 2020 and over $12 million to wildfire recovery in her native Tennessee back in 2016.
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