Dolly Parton Was Generous During Weather And Climate Disasters, Too

Dolly Parton, who died Tuesday at the age of 80, was
a generous philanthropist who gave away millions
of dollars. That included money to victims of 
weather and climate disasters. 

We're all reeling from the passing of Dolly Parton, that bundle of energy and joy, who, with her thoughtful songwriting, her exuberant public image and her philanthropy, made her an absolute national treasure. 

Her generosity has been widely reported.  The most cited example is her Imagination Library, which has provided more than 300 million books to children in the United States and other nations. 

Parton stepped up when weather and climate disasters hit, too. Especially when they affected the area where she was born and raised. 

On November 28, 2016, a raging wildfire swept into Gatlinburg, Tennessee and surrounding areas of Sevier County, Tennessee. It caused 14 deaths, 130 injuries, burned 1,684 structures and forced, 14,000 people to evacuate from the East Tennessee mountain tourist destination.

Parton was on tour when the fires hit, and she called right after the wildfires and asked what can we do and bow quickly can we do it, said David Dotson, CEO of Dollywood Foundation in a 2018 interview.

As Blue Ridge Public Radio reported: 

"The My People's fund (part of Parton's philanthropy) gave $1,000 per month to about 900 families impacted by the fire - regardless of income - for six months. But the Dollywood Foundation received so many donations they increased the amount to $5,000 a month. They also opened an additional organization called Mountain Tough to help families on a case-by-case basis and clean up homesites." 

In total, $12.5 million dollars went to the people of Sevier County from the foundation." 

In September, 2024, the devastating floods from Hurricane Helene spilled over into far eastern Tennessee's the waters raged through neighboring North Carolina. The day of the floods, she announced $1 million donation, matched buy her Dollywood companies and their partners.  

Oddly enough, the next hurricane on the list of this year's Atlantic storms will be named Dolly. That wasn't a decision made upon her death. The hurricane names were planned out years ago. There is currently a weather disturbance in east-central tropical Atlantic Ocean that might or might not develop into Tropical Storm Dolly. 

Forecasters are unsure whether that storm will form, and if it does, how strong it might get and where it might go.

North Carolina Emergency Management said in a Facebook statement that if a Hurricane Dolly, or any other storm threatens your care, maybe we can help a neighbor, a friend, or a loved one prepare for the storm. Maybe we can buy stuff for someone's disaster preparedness kit,  all in the spirit of Dolly Parton's generosity. 

The following Dolly Parton quote can be applied to a storm or any other situation: "We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails."