The generosity of
Dolly Parton is always right on time. There are so many people who are hurting right now after the devastation from Hurricane Helene left much of North Carolina, South Carolina, east Tennessee and Georgia underwater. Over 200 people have already been confirmed dead, and hundreds more are still missing as rescue crews desperately try to provide aid and reach the hardest-hit areas. The pictures and videos of the devastation are absolutely unthinkable. It’s just heartbreaking to think about those who are suffering so much right now – and even those families still waiting to hear from their loved ones who are without power, cell phones and basic supplies. But through the tragedy, we’ve seen many in the community and across the country step up to provide aid and help those who are suffering. I knew Dolly would be no exception, because she always takes care of her fellow mountain people. It's just how it works. Today, during a press conference at Walmart in Newport, Tennessee, which was also hit hard by the hurricane, Dolly announced that she is donating $1 million to hurricane Helene relief efforts from her personal bank account, in addition to another $1 million coming from her business ventures, like Dollywood. She remarked that she has been heartbroken by the devastation, recalling how her part of East Tennessee, in Seviere county in the next county over from Newport, was hit hard by wildfires a few years back. She remembered everyone stepped up to help her community, which now needs her help once again. It's unclear exactly which organizations that money is going to, and we are still waiting on further detail there, but I know she'll make sure it gets to the right people and places. Dolly said, like all of us, she's been "heartbroken" by what's happened to her people, and she wants to do whatever she can to help now:
"It's personal because I have a lot of my own relatives that live here. When we heard about this, it was devastating, not just because it was my family, but all these people feel like my people. We all feel related, and we are in some sort of w a y. It devastated me just to know that we had to suffer like that. You don't want to see anybody suffering, especially me, so anything that we can do to help. I was heartbroken like everybody else, just amazed and devastated by it." It's been inspiring to see so many country artists step up and help the place they come from in the Appalachian mountains, from
Morgan Wallen ,
Eric Church ,
Luke Combs and more. I just want to reiterate again that
SO many private citizens and businesses have stepped up in an incredible way to help their neighbors in need, and it has been truly astonishing to witness how many people have reached out during this dire time for the amazing people in western North Carolina, east Tennessee, Georgia and other states. That has been the silver lining, if we can find one, in all of this, watching fellow Americans help each other in such a dire time. A HUGE thank you to everyone who was offered anything to our beautiful Appalachian mountains, whether it was a prayer, donation, or anything else. It’s going to be a long road to recovery, and we need all the help we can get. It means more to the people up there than you can possibly imagine, and we are all
so incredibly grateful for it. You can watch the entire press conference here: https://www.youtube.com/live/6CLV6GETecI
Local News
