Dolly Parton's charitable initiatives span books, vaccines and disaster relief
The late singer's philanthropy included the Imagination Library, $1 million donations to COVID-19 vaccine research, and support for disaster victims and children's health programs.
Dolly Parton’s charitable work extended beyond her music career, encompassing education, health and disaster relief. Through the Dollywood Foundation, she launched the Imagination Library in 1995, a program that mails free books to children under five. The initiative, inspired by her father’s illiteracy, has distributed more than 332 million books across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Australia.
Parton also contributed to medical research, donating $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 2020 to support early trials of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, which later demonstrated about 95 % efficacy against severe disease. She repeated similar $1 million gifts to the same institution for pediatric hospital projects and infectious-disease research.
Her disaster-relief efforts included a 2016 telethon that raised over $13 million after a Sevier County fire, and a $700 000 fundraising drive following severe flooding in Middle Tennessee. The Dollywood Foundation offers scholarships and monthly cash assistance to families displaced by such events.
"I’m kind of addicted to the feeling of giving," Parton said in a past interview.
"All children should grow up in a home full of books," she added.
"I love children. No child should ever have to suffer," she stated when announcing a donation to a children's hospital.
Eileen Driver, chair of the UK’s Imagination Library, praised Parton’s vision for sharing stories, while Scottish National Party councillor Lee Mills said he would work to bring the program to every child in Scotland. The East Tennessee Children’s Hospital was renamed the Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital after a partnership with the nonprofit facility.