Dolly Parton donates $1 million to coronavirus research
Dolly is doing her Part-on (sorry) to help fight both the coronavirus and stir-craziness during the Great Quarantine of 2020.
On Wednesday, Dolly Parton announced she will donate $1 million to coronavirus research at Nashville's Vanderbilt University. "My longtime friend Dr. Naji Abumrad, who’s been involved in research at Vanderbilt for many years, informed me that they were making some exciting advancements towards research of the coronavirus for a cure," the country music legend wrote on Twitter. "I am making a donation of $1 million to Vanderbilt towards that research and to encourage people that can afford it to make donations."
The news comes following Parton's announcement that she's hosting "Goodnight with Dolly," a weekly series in which she will read a bedtime story to children online, beginning Thursday at 7 p.m. ET with The Little Engine That Could. The books will be drawn from Parton's Imagination Library, her literacy program that mails a book to children every month until they begin school. The series "will focus on comforting and reassuring children during the shelter-in-place mandates," according to the nonprofit.
"This is something I have been wanting to do for quite a while, but the timing never felt quite right. I think it is pretty clear that now is the time to share a story and to share some love," Parton said in a statement.
Parton is well known for her philanthropic efforts, in addition to the Imagination Library; her Dollywood Foundation distributes scholarships to local high school students and supports numerous nonprofit organizations.
For the latest information on coronavirus (COVID-19), including how to protect yourself and what to do if you think you are sick, please visit coronavirus.gov.
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