Country music legend Dolly Parton , known for her charitable efforts, revealed that she’s personally donating $1 million toward Hurricane Helene relief as she spoke from a Walmart parking lot in Newport, Tennessee, on Friday.
The donation will go toward the Mountain Ways Foundation , a nonprofit that says it’s supporting recovery efforts and survivors of the deadly storm in eastern Tennessee, western North Carolina and the greater Appalachian region.
Parton added that her Dollywood Foundation, along with some of her businesses — Dollywood Parks & Resorts, Dolly Parton’s Stampede and Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show — will match her $1 million donation.
“I look around and I think, these are my mountains, these are my valleys, these are my rivers flowing like a stream,” said Parton, who partnered with Walmart to help with relief efforts. “These are my people, these mountain-colored rainbows, these are my people and this is my home.”
The singer also broke out into a heartfelt version of her song “Jolene” in response to the deadly storm , which killed over 200 people.
“Helene, Helene, Helene, Helene. You came in here and broke us all apart,” she sang. “Helene, Helene, Helene, Helene. But we’re all here to mend these broken hearts.”
Parton — a Tennessee native — recalled how community members “pitched in” following the 2016 wildfires in Sevier County, one of the largest natural disasters ever seen in the state.
“So I really think that this is a time for me to step up again, for all of us to step up and do what we can,” said Parton, whose My People Fund reportedly gave over $8 million to those who lost their homes due to the wildfires.
At Friday’s event, Walmart U.S. president and CEO John Furner said that the retail giant — along with Sam’s Club and the Walmart Foundation — would raise a recent commitment of $6 million to a $10 million donation toward Helene recovery.
A press release about this week’s donations noted: “Dollywood already has worked with its sponsorship partner Coca-Cola to donate a semi-truck full of water for distribution in Cocke County, Tennessee. Additionally, Dollywood also has donated 60,000 reusable masks, 30,000 disposable protective garments and 2.5 million disposable masks to be used for cleanup efforts across East Tennessee.”
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