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More than music: A look at Dolly Parton's philanthropy efforts over the years

In 1986, Dolly Parton opened Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, creating Sevier County's largest employer. The amusement park generates around $1.8 billion annually and supports more than 23,000 jobs.
Two years later, Parton launched the Dollywood Foundation to lower high school dropout rates in her home county. She expanded it to include the Buddy Program, pledging $500 to every seventh and eighth-grade student who graduated.
Driven by her father's struggle with literacy, Parton established the Imagination Library, which has gifted more than 300 million books to children worldwide. She donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University for Moderna vaccine research during COVID-19.
Beyond philanthropy, Parton authored memoirs including "Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business" and co-wrote the novel "Run Rose Run" with James Patterson. She recorded the "Rockstar" album, collaborating with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.
Parton, the "Queen of Country," died at 80, leaving a legacy spanning her 1999 Country Music Hall of Fame induction and her 2011 Recording Academy lifetime achievement award. Her global influence reshaped philanthropy and music.

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