Last night, country music icon and living, breathing, glittering embodiment of all that is good in the world Dolly Parton (who we were fortunate enough to interview earlier this year) announced her plans to launch the My People Fund. This new charity project aims to provide “a hand up” to families who’ve been affected by the brace of wildfires currently ravaging Eastern Tennessee’s Great Smoky Mountains, particularly the Gatlinburg area. Parton—who was famously born into poverty in the shadow of those very mountains—plans to provide $1,000 each month to Sevier County families who have lost their homes.
“I’ve always believed charity begins at home and my home is some place special,” Parton explained. “That’s why I’ve asked my Dollywood Companies—including the Dollywood theme park, and DreamMore Resort; my dinner theater attractions including Dixie Stampede and Lumberjack Adventure; and my Dollywood Foundation—to help me establish the My People Fund.”
Videos by VICE
“We want to provide a hand up to those families who have lost everything in the fires. I know it has been a trying time for my people and this assistance will help get them back on their feet.”
Head over to the Dollywood Foundation website if you’d like to contribute to the My People Fund, and watch Dolly’s full message below. The star is no stranger to charitable causes, either—her Imagination Library literacy project sends free books to over a million children across the US, Canada, and UK per month.
Kim Kelly didn’t realize it was possible to love Dolly even more than she already did, but, here we are. She’s on Twitter—and so is Dolly!
