Dolly Parton is doing her part to help victims of the devastating Tennessee wildfires.
The country music icon is pledging to donate $1,000 a month to each family affected by the blaze that destroyed homes, took seven lives and forced thousands to flee Gatlinburg, TN. Parton, a native of nearby Pigeon Forge, has also set up a “My People Fund” through her Dollywood Foundation, dedicated to raising money through online donations to support those in need.
“I have always believed that charity begins at home,” Parton said. “We want to provide a hand up to all those families that have lost everything in the fires,” she said. “And to recover, we want to make sure that the Dollywood Foundation provides $1,000 a month to all of those families that have lost their homes in the fires until they get back up on their feet. I know it has been a trying time for my people, and this assistance will help.”
According to the Dollywood Company, the fund has already raised over $1 million.
Parton, who is currently on her biggest North American tour in 25 years, is also planning to host a telethon to increase donations. Scheduled for Dec. 13, the three-hour telethon will take place in Nashville with all proceeds going towards aiding the families that have been displaced because of the wildfires.
Parton, who’s always been proud and passionate about her hometown, just released a Christmas movie on NBC chronicling her early years growing up in the Smoky Mountains. The singer says she’s “heartbroken” by the destruction wrought by the fires on the “same mountains she grew up on” and hopes her fund can help victims “rebuild and restore” their lives.
