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Country music legend Dolly Parton has been awarded a whopping $100 million (R1,7 billion) from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his partner, Lauren Sánchez, to give to charitable organisations of her choosing.
The singer and humanitarian was awarded the funds as part of the Bezos Award for Courage and Civility.
“The award recognises leaders who aim high, find solutions and who always do it with civility. Each awardee receives $100m to direct to the charities they see fit,” Lauren said when announcing the award.
We’ve just announced a new Courage and Civility award recipient — @DollyParton, who leads with her heart, and will put this $100 million award to great use helping so many people. She joins prior awardees, @VanJones68 and @Chefjoseandres. Congrats, Dolly! pic.twitter.com/dzTuoGVp3G
— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) November 12, 2022
"[Dolly] embodies these ideals [courage and civility] so thoroughly. She gives with her heart,” Jeff added.
“What she’s done for kids, literacy and so many other things is just incredible."
Accepting the award, Dolly (76) pledged to put the money to good use.
“When people are in position to help, you should help,” she said.
“And I know that I’ve always said I try to put my money where my heart is. I'll do my best to do good things with this money.”
The singer and actress joins two previous recipients of the Bezos Award, CNN contributor and US climate-change activist Van Jones (54), and José Andrés (53), a Spanish chef who provides free meals in the wake of natural disasters.
Jeff, the fourth-richest person in the world according to Forbes magazine, has pledged to donate a sizable amount of his $124 billion (R2 trillion) fortune to charitable causes.
“Conflict travels, conflict is interesting and people do focus on conflict . . . [I] want to bring a little bit of light, a little bit of amplification to these people who use unity instead of conflict,” he told CNN.
Dolly’s philanthropic work began in the '80s, when she established the Dollywood Foundation to fund education for primary school children as well as provide books for kids from birth until their first school year.
In 2020, she donated $1m (R17m) to Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, to help fund the development of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine, and she’s been a supporter of LGBTQ and black communities.
Over the years, she’s also set up scholarships to pay students' university fees.
“I give with my heart," the 10-time Grammy winner says. "I never know what I’m going to do or why I’m [going to] do it. I just see a need and if I can fill it, then I will . . .
“That’s what we should do as human beings. I never quite understood why we have to let religion and politics and things like that stand in the way of just being good human beings. I think it’s important from that standpoint just to feel like you’re doing your part, doing something decent and good and right.”
SOURCES: THEGUARDIAN.COM, CNET.COM, EDITION.CNN.COM, BILLBOARD.COM
