Dolly Parton's philanthropy will leave a long-lasting legacy

Dolly Parton’s music will be remembered for decades. Her movies will be enjoyed for a long time to come. But the impact she had on the individual lives of those helped through her philanthropic work may have the most profound effect.

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Parton, who died Tuesday at 80, was committed to helping people in the east Tennessee communities where she grew up and her efforts extended around the world. Even in death, she focused on improving the lives of those who benefit from her charities, asking people to donate to her Imagination Library in lieu of sending flowers. 

The Dollywood Foundation

Parton’s Dollywood Foundation took her mission to promote education from the organization’s roots in the community where she grew up beyond the United States and to other nations as well. Founded in 1988 with the goal of reducing the dropout rate in Sevier County, Parton put her money where her mouth is. In the early 90s, she promised $500 out of her own pocket to every 7th- and 8th-grade student there if they graduated high school. Thanks to that initiative, dubbed the Buddy Program, the dropout rate fell from 35% to 6%, the Foundation wrote.

In 1995, the Foundation launched what would become its flagship program: the Imagination Library. Since its launch, more than three million children in five countries have registered to receive books from the initiative. 

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Imagination Library

The Imagination Library was also born from the lessons of Parton’s youth. The organization explained how her father, who was illiterate, drove her to want to make sure every child in Sevier County, which is east of Knoxville, could read and write – and would love to do so.

What they're saying:

"The seeds of these dreams are often found in books and the seeds you help plant in your community can grow across the world." Dolly Parton via the Imagination Library website.

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The Library offers to send books to families from the time their child is born through the age of five. Within five years, organizations across the country were inspired to start similar programs. In 2003, the Imagination Library went statewide in Tennessee, and soon after began exploring international opportunities. By the end of the decade, the program had distributed 25 million books and had reached the United Kingdom and Canada.

The organization was sending out one million books per month by 2013, and, five years after that, two million per month were going out the door to families in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, and Ireland.

In 2024, one in seven children in the U.S. received a book each month from Imagination Library, according to the Library.

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Scholarships and My People Fund

The Dollywood Foundation’s commitment to education does not stop there. Every year, one person at each of Sevier County’s five high schools is awarded a $15,000 scholarship that go to students "who have a dream they wish to pursue and who can successfully communicate their plan and commitment to realize their dreams."

In 2016, a massive fire swept through her home county. Over 1,000 families lost their homes and Parton looked for a way to help them make it through such a hard time. She led an effort to give $1,000 per month for six months to families who lost their primary home. It took just two weeks before the money was going out to families. Six months later, the Fund reported having given away over $12 million. 

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Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital

Earlier this year, the East Tennessee Children’s Hospital was officially renamed in honor of Parton to honor her years of commitment to children and families. The hospital’s president and CEO, Matt Schaefer, said in March that with her commitment, they are able to provide better pediatric care and make sure that every child who comes to the hospital will get the care they need.

"Every child deserves world-class care, wrapped in kindness and love. I’m so honored to stand alongside this Hospital and do my part to help bring more hope, more comfort, and more healing to children and families," Parton said at the time of the announcement. 

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Finding a COVID vaccine

Just months into the COVID-19 pandemic, Parton stepped up in a big way and quickly. In April 2020, she explained that she learned from a friend who was a researcher at Vanderbilt University, Dr. Naji Abumrad, that they had been making "exciting advancements" toward finding a cure for coronavirus. Upon hearing that, Parton donated $1 million to help with the research and encouraged others to do the same. 

When a vaccine became available, she posted a video urging everyone to get the shot. She even sang a modified version of her classic "Jolene," in which the lyrics were changed to "Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, I’m begging of you please don’t hesitate. Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, ‘cause once you’re dead then that’s a bit too late."

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Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy

In 2022, Parton was awarded the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy for all of her charitable work.