Dolly Parton awarded Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy, says she gives ‘from the heart’

Grammy-winning country superstar, Dolly Parton, was jokingly uncharitable after the crowd at the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy ceremony tried singing along with her during her acceptance speech.

“That was terrible,” the veteran singer and Hollywood actress said after a muted singalong of Books, Books, the song she wrote to support her Imagination Library initiative.

That philanthropic programme, which provides children under five with a free book every month, was one of the reasons she was part of this year’s class of Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy honorees, as well as her donation to coronavirus vaccine research in 2020 that helped develop the Moderna vaccine.

“I’m very proud and honoured to be a part of anything that is going to make the world a better place,” Parton said, adding that she was pleased to be celebrated along with Dallas entrepreneur Lyda Hill, Kenyan industrialist Manu Chandaria, and Lynn and Stacy Schusterman, from the Oklahoma investment family.

In her Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy acceptance speech, Parton said she doesn’t really have a strategy for her donations. “I just give from my heart”, she said. “I never know what I’m going to do or why I’m gonna do it. I just see a need and if I can fill it, then I will”.

One need Dolly Parton does focus on filling is fostering a love of reading in children. Her Imagination Library initiative sends a free book every month to children under five whose parents request them. Currently, she sends out about 2 million free books each month.