#dollyparton

Dolly Parton Is Far More Than Country Music Star

No. That "Is" in the title is not a mistake. There are some people who have made such an impact on the world that even death cannot stop them. Dolly Parton is one of those beautiful and unique people. Her influence will live on for generations. And I say this from the point of view of someone who does not like country music at all. But not even I could deny that Dolly Parton is one of the greatest song writers, singers and performers that has ever lived. In fact, her incredibly fun song 9 to 5 was one of the top songs on my Spotify Wrapped last year. But I am not here to celebrate Dolly Parton the Country Music star. I'm here to celebrate a wonderful human being who happened to be a Country Music star.

This week in class, it dawned on me that many 14 and 15 year olds would not understand why so many people were so sad that Dolly Parton had passed away. As a history teacher, I teach about events and individuals who changed the world. Sadly, this means I spend a lot of time on events and people who have made the world worse. I felt I owed it to my students to show an example of a human being who made the world a better place. And that is what Dolly Parton is.

I began the lesson before school even started. before the first bell, I played a playlist of some of Dolly's best songs. I also projected a collage of some of her best quotes. Several students, who I had never even met, dropped in to see who was honoring Dolly. I think these students discovered they have another safe space to go in the school if they ever need any help. Here's the list of songs I played:

Rainbowland
Jolene
I Will Always Love You
9 to 5
Here You Come Again
Islands in the Stream (with Kenny Rogers)

I was surprised how many students actually knew these songs. But what really got them going were Dolly's awesome quotes!

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I then went on to explain exactly how Dolly made the world a better place and highlighted all of the charity and civil rights work she did.

Literacy & Education Dollywood's Imagination Library: Founded in 1995 in honor of her father, this program mails free, high-quality books monthly to children from birth to age five. It has distributed over 200 million books globally across the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Australia, and Ireland.
The Buddy Program: Launched in her home county of Sevier County, Tennessee, this initiative offered middle schoolers $500 if both they and a paired partner successfully graduated high school, slashing the local dropout rate from 35% down to under 6%.
Dollywood Foundation Scholarships: Provides college scholarships to high school seniors in East Tennessee to make higher education accessible for low-income families.

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Disaster Relief & Community Aid

My People Fund: Following the devastating 2016 Great Smoky Mountains wildfires, Parton provided $1,000 per month for six months—plus a final $5,000 check—to over 900 families who lost their primary residences.
Hurricane Helene Recovery: Donated $1 million of her personal funds, matched by another $1 million from Dollywood Parks & Resorts and the Dollywood Foundation, to supply flood relief to mountain communities.
Local Business Investment: Used songwriting royalties from Whitney Houston's version of "I Will Always Love You" to purchase a commercial strip mall in a historically Black Nashville neighborhood to support local Black-owned businesses.

Healthcare & Medical Research

COVID-19 Vaccine Research: Donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 2020, which funded crucial early research and clinical trials for the Moderna vaccine.
Hospital Contributions: Donated millions to pediatric cancer research at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital and funded the Dolly Parton Center for Women’s Services at LeConte Medical Center.

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LGBTQ+ Support: Dolly has been a vocal, long-time ally supporting marriage equality and civil rights, intentionally keeping her businesses, parks, and messaging overtly inclusive.

I ended my lesson by explaining that there is now a large hole in the world that will need to be filled. Who will step up to do the good that Dolly was doing? Will it be a celebrity? A business person... or a student sitting here in this class right now?

I'm betting on the student. So is Dolly.

Comments · 12

@planetauto(74)· 20h
Wise words indeed, @hanshotfirst Thank you for this post honouring Dolly - she is a legend, and her legacy will live on.

I grew up listening to some of her music, watching ALL of her films and just plain loving this amazing human being.

From now on, if I'm faced with a difficult decision, and I'm struggling with what to do, I'm going to ask myself - What Would Dolly Do?

Annabelle ☹️
@djbravo(75)· 1d
After becoming successful, the first goal of life should be this: if we are all successful, after working hard, then first of all we should help the poor people. Now, the way people become successful in other countries, but they neither invite their relatives nor their friends there, this thing is very wrong. When someone becomes famous, he gets more money, so it is very good to see that this singer has helped a lot of people.
@emmanuel50(69)· 1d
I knew Dolly Parton as a singer but I did not know she had done so much to help people. The part about giving children books and helping families really touched me. It shows that the good we do for others can live on even after we are gone.
@bozz(83)· 1d
She was quite amazing. Especially given her humble roots. I'm glad she never lost sight of that.
@ferod23(62)· 2d
It would be excellent if someone could explain to their class that someone needs to step forward and fill the void left by Dolly Parton. Her work to create a better world and give the less fortunate the opportunity to study was truly remarkable, so let's hope it happens. Rest in peace.
@zuliquijada22(66)· 2d
I was reading a bit about Dolly Parton and I thought she had been dead for several years, and just this week, at 80 years old, "The Queen of Country" passed away. Without a doubt, let's just say she was a complete artist, especially with all her charitable work promoting reading.
@livinguktaiwan(81)· 2d
Incredible person who was much more than a singer, songwriter business woman, philanthropist all put together.

She will be missed

@hivebuzz(74)· 2d

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@waleedraza(59)· 2d
Every actor has a different and personal life in which they probably try to help people and make their country famous all over the world. This girl has also worked hard in the same way, so people recognize her today,
@hjrrodriguez(74)· 2d
I've never actually heard her music (I'm from Venezuela), but it's interesting to know what she contributed and how her legacy continues to contribute to a better world. That's certainly how artists should be: leaving something behind for humanity. I'll look for more information about Dolly because I think it's wonderful what's been done to keep her legacy alive.
@sanity-check(49)· 2d
Maybe I'm uncultured but I was bummed when Tim Curry passed away recently, he portrayed Darkness in the 1980s Tom Cruise film Legend. Also bummed when Peter Cullen, the voice of Optimus Prime, also passed away. When it comes to Dolly Parton I somehow do not know a single thing about her.
@wiseagent(81)· 2d
She's a legend.

Period.