Dolly Parton dodges spotlight while receiving philanthropy award

'I don't do it for attention, I just give from my heart,' music star says

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  Dolly Parton, with a side-swept beehive, poses for a portrait in 1965 in Nashville, Tennessee. Getty Images

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  Dolly Parton, in a floral dress, with Porter Wagoner on the set of his TV show in 1969. Getty Images

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  Dolly Parton, in a jumpsuit and crochet cape, at London Airport on April 16, 1976. Getty Images

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  Dolly Parton, in a denim shirt and headscarf, pictured in London, England, on May 20, 1977. Getty Images

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  Dolly Parton, in a high-necked lace creation, in 1978. Getty Images

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  Dolly Parton, in burgundy velvet, at recording session in 1978. Reuters

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  Ben Vereen and Dolly Parton, in a strapless gown, attend the 52nd annual Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, on April 14, 1980. Reuters

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  Dolly Parton, in a pink-fringed blouse, pictured in 1987. Reuters

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  Dolly Parton, in a black and white blouse and voluminous curls, at a press conference in 1987. Getty Images

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  Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton, in a black dress with matching bolero, in 1987. Getty Images

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  Dolly Parton, in an encrusted white gown, at the 14th People's Choice Awards on March 13, 1988, in Los Angeles, California. Reuters

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  Dolly Parton, in an embellished layered dress, attends the 'Steel Magnolias' premiere on November 9, 1989, in Los Angeles, US. Reuters

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  Dolly Parton, in a leather skirt and waistcoat, waves during a luncheon in Washington, DC, on March 22, 2000. Getty Images

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  Dolly Parton, in an embroidered yellow jacket, attends the National Press Club luncheon in Washington DC, on March 23, 2000. Getty Images

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  Dolly Parton, in a leather waistcoat, poses during the launch of her new album, 'Little Arrow', in a London record store on February 16, 2001. Getty Images

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  Dolly Parton, in a blue capri-pant suit, poses on October 8, 2002 at the Oxford Street HMV store in London, England. Getty Images

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  Dolly Parton, in an American flag-inspired suit, poses on the South Grounds of the White House in Washington, DC, on July 4, 2003. Reuters

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  Dolly Parton, in a white suit, performs during the 78th Academy Awards at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California, on March 5, 2006. EPA

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  Dolly Parton, in a white glittering gown, arrives at the Kennedy Centre Honours gala in Washington, DC, on December 3, 2006. EPA

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  Dolly Parton, in a beaded green ensemble, at the Magna Science and Adventure Park on December 5, 2007 in South Yorkshire, England. Getty Images

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  Dolly Parton, in a beaded pink mini with chiffon robe, arrives at the Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York, US, on June 7, 2009. EPA

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  Dolly Parton, in a black corseted dress, poses during a press conference in Melbourne, Australia, on February 11, 2014. EPA

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  Dolly Parton, in statement orange, performs during a concert to benefit her Imagination Library at The University of Tennessee's Thompson-Boling Arena on May 28, 2014 in Knoxville, Tennessee. AFP

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  Alyvia Lind and Dolly Parton, in a floral shirt and capri pants, arrive for the NBC Universal summer press tour at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, California, on August 13, 2015. EPA

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  Dolly Parton, in a multi-coloured sequin blazer, attends the 51st annual Academy of Country Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 3, 2016. EPA

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  Dolly Parton, in a patterned mini dress, arrives at the premiere of 'Dumplin' at the TCL Chinese 6 Theaters in Hollywood, California, on December 6, 2018.

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  Dolly Parton, in a bedazzled body-con dress, arrives for the MusiCares Person of the Year ceremony in Los Angeles, California, on February 8, 2019. EPA

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  Dolly Parton, in a sparkly red dress, arrives at the 61st annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, California, on February 10, 2019. EPA

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  Dolly Parton, in a fringe-trimmed dress, attends the gala evening of '9 to 5: The Musical' at The Savoy Theatre on February 17, 2019 in London, England. Getty Images

Dolly Parton laughs at the idea that she is some sort of secret philanthropist.

“I don’t do it for attention,” she said shortly before receiving the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy at Gotham Hall in New York City on Thursday. “But look! I’m getting a lot of attention by doing it.”

In fact, Parton believes she gets too much attention for her philanthropy work — which ranges from promoting childhood literacy to supporting those affected by natural disasters and providing numerous college scholarships through her Dollywood Foundation.

Social media sleuths did piece together this week that the country superstar had been quietly paying for the band uniforms of many Tennessee high schools for years.

And yes, it did take decades for her to reveal that she used the song writing royalties she earned from Whitney Houston’s version of I Will Always Love You to purchase a strip mall in Nashville to support the surrounding black neighbourhood in her honour.

Additionally, it did eventually come out that Parton had donated $1 million for research that helped create the Moderna vaccine for Covid-19.

“I get paid more attention than maybe some others that are doing more than me,” Parton said, adding that she hopes that attention inspires more people to help others.

In her Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy 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 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, Parton sends out about two million free books each month.

That programme continues to expand. Last month, California partnered with Imagination Library to make the programme available to the millions of children under five in the state.

“That is a big deal,” she said. “That’s a lot of children. And we’re so honoured and proud to have all the communities that make that happen because I get a lot of glory for the work a whole lot of people are doing.”

Parton said she’ll accept that attention because it furthers the cause. “I’m proud to be the voice out there doing what I can to get more books into the hands of more children,” she said.

Eric Isaacs, president of the Carnegie Institution for Science and a member of the medal selection committee, said Parton is a “tremendous example” of someone who understands the importance of philanthropy.

“Everyone knows her music,” he said. “They might know Dollywood for entertainment, more broadly. But now they’re going to know her for her philanthropy, which I’m not sure they have before.”

If Parton didn’t make philanthropy a priority in her life, it could be difficult to balance it with all her other pursuits.

She released Run, Rose, Run, a best-selling novel co-written with James Patterson, in March. She filmed the holiday movie Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas with Willie Nelson, Miley Cyrus and Jimmy Fallon for NBC. And she will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on November 5, alongside Eminem, Lionel Richie and Pat Benatar — an honour she initially declined, but then graciously accepted.

“I’m ready to rock,” she said, adding that she has already written a new song, especially for that ceremony in Los Angeles.

But Parton is also ready to expand her philanthropic work. This year, she launched the Care More initiative at her Dollywood Parks and Resorts, which gives employees a day off to volunteer at a non-profit organisation of their choice.

“I think it’s important for everyone to do their share to help their fellow man,” she said. “This world is so crazy. I don’t think we even know what we’re doing to each other and to this world.”

Parton says she hopes the day of service will let people realise that “when you help somebody, it helps them, but it can help you more.”

“That’s what we should do as human beings,” she said. “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.”