She Will Always Love Us; Dolly Parton's charitable works spark early motion in UK parliament

Pop culture and Dolly Parton; it’s been an enduring, endearing love affair between the two as the country artist can seemingly do no wrong. From helping fund vaccinations during the war against COVID-19 to creating a foundation to help decrease high school dropout rates in her home county of Sevier County, Tennessee, Parton’s philanthropic efforts have always been a quiet affair that she seldom self-congratulates herself for. 

But for one MP, it has been her song 'I Will Always Love You', which later became a smash hit for the late Whitney Houston, that has led to an early motion to be made in Parliament. Jim Shannon from the Democratic Unionist Party submitted an early-day motion on Wednesday (22 March) to mark the 50th anniversary of the track.

The motion notes the sentiment behind the song "and what it means to so many", including Mr. Shannon's wife and has attracted 32 supporters so far. That’s 32 people who we can officially call Dolly Parton fans who are currently in the highest positions in the land - who knew even the political elite have a soft spot for Dolly. The Strangford MP wished the Tennessee-born singer "continued success as she entertains and encourages so many through her music and inspirational character".

The other sponsors of the bill - the first six MPs to sign it - are Olivia Blake, Cat Smith and Nadia Whittome of Labour, Tim Farron of the Liberal Democrats and Kirsten Oswald of the SNP; all of which urged Parliament to wish the country star joy and happiness, much like she has wished to the rest of the world. 

Parton’s philanthropic efforts have been well noted over the years, but more often than not after the fact she has either donated or set up various foundations and charities. For all her efforts, she received the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy in 2022. The award, presented by the international family of Carnegie institutions to honour innovative philanthropists, debuted in 2001 and is normally awarded every two years. 

It was not issued in 2021 due to the pandemic - the pandemic that Dolly Parton helped fight with her generous donation to Vanderbilt University, which helped fund Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, which subsequently was approved and used to help shield people against the virus.

A history of philanthropy - Dolly Parton’s charitable pursuits.

Long before Jim Shannon’s early motion, Dolly chartered her path giving back to the public who gave her so much and made her a country superstar. 

Education

In 1988, she set up The Dollywood Foundation, in which Parton gave $500 to every seventh and eighth grader who finished high school in Sevier County, Tennessee. According to the organisation, the initiative was successful and the dropout rate declined from 35 percent to just 6 percent. She followed this up a year later by offering a $500 scholarship to every student in Sevier County who wished to attend Hiwassee College.

Her support of her home country and its educational pursuits continued in the ‘90s, as Parton set up The Dollywood Foundation’s Imagination Library. The library would send one book per month to each enrolled child in Sevier County from birth until their first year of school and was founded in honour of Parton’s father, who was unable to read.

She would return to her scholarship efforts in 2000, increasing her $500 efforts in 1988 to five $15,000 college scholarships, offered to five high school seniors in her home county, for those who “have a dream they wish to pursue and who can successfully communicate their plan and commitment to realise their dreams.”

Education would seem to be a very important aspect for Parton, as last year she ensured that any Dollywood employee who is furthering their education would receive 100% funding for tuition, fees and books. The program is available to all seasonal, part-time and full-time employees at Dollywood Parks & Resorts, while also providing partial funding — up to $5,250 per year — for 150 additional programs in fields including hospitality, engineering, human resources and more. 

In addition, employees can enrol into the program on their first day of employment - showing the utmost faith that Dolly Parton had in her employees and that good old Tennessee hospitality she’s become renowned for.

Disaster relief

Unfortunately, it would seem that Tennessee is considered a hotspot for natural disasters; one of the most frequently searched results on Google conjured up the question “What part of Tennessee is safest from natural disasters?” The answer is Knoxville, by the way. So it should come as no surprise that on top of ensuring her home state experiences a bump in educational pursuits, Parton has a history of fundraising efforts when it came to natural disasters affecting the area.

After East Tennessee was ravaged by wildfires in 2016, Parton set up a Telethon to aid those affected by the disaster; Smoky Mountains Rise: A Benefit for the My People Fund, which aimed to help residents hit hardest in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, raised more than $13 million, with Kenny Rogers, Alison Krauss, Reba McEntire, Cyndi Lauper and more appearing at the event.

This was quickly followed by Parton with her My People Fund, providing $1,000 a month for six months to families whose homes were destroyed amid the natural disaster. The fund also donated around $8.9 million to those in need. The initiative still helps residents pay for rent and utilities, plus food and mental health resources.

When Middle Tennessee was ravaged by flooding in 2021, Parton and her Smoky Mountain businesses raised $700,000 to help residents impacted and chose the United Way of Humphreys County to receive and distribute the donation, at the suggestion of her friend and fellow country music legend Loretta Lynn.

Medical research and facilities

Before her donation towards coronavirus research, Parton was involved in several other efforts that would benefit those within the Tennessee community regarding their healthcare. 

The LeConte Medical Center, the new hospital and cancer centre in Sevier County, opened in 2010 and features a 30,000-square-foot Dolly Parton Center for Women’s Services and was only made possible after Parton set up a benefit concert in 2007. That concert raised $500,000, and both Dollywood and Parton’s Dixie Stampede dinner theatre pledged $250,000 each to the project, for a total of $1 million.

In 2017, Parton made her first donation to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, when she parted with $1 million for the centre’s Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital in honour of her niece, who was treated for leukaemia at that hospital. She then made yet another $1 million donation to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville in June 2022, this time aimed at helping paediatric infectious disease research.The donation will aid Vanderbilt’s Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases to continue its effort in understanding how viruses and bacteria cause disease, understanding and preventing resistance to antibiotics, diagnosing and treating infections in children with cancer.