On May 8, 2009, Dolly Parton gave the University of Tennessee, Knoxville graduating class a commencement speech to remember. The country icon s address mixed self-deprecating humor, anecdotes from her own life and inspirational encouragement. Do not confuse dreams with wishes, she said at one point to the 12,000-strong crowd. There is a difference. Dreams are where you visualize yourself being successful at what’s important to you to accomplish. Dreams build convictions because you work hard to pay the price to make sure that they come true. Wishes are hoping good things will happen to you, but there s no fire in your gut that causes you to put everything forth to overcome all the obstacles.
Country Music Memories: Dolly Parton Earns Honorary Doctorate knue.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from knue.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Dolly formed the Dollywood Foundation in 1988 to help decrease the high school dropout rate in Sevier County.
Then she founded the Imagination Library in 1995 to make sure kids had books at home to read something that she and many of her classmates lacked growing up. Because of the Imagination Library, many know Dolly Parton as the book lady, as the program provides a new, age-appropriate book each month to preschool children from birth to their fifth birthday; to date, the program has registered 1,788,176 young people and gifted a total of 152,366,795 books to young readers throughout the world.
The resolution says that for five decades, Dolly has brought joy and hope to many people and that she is an inspiration around the world, but especially in East Tennessee.
Brett Hubbard
Last year, during the quarantine, I read that Dolly Parton donated $1 million for the development of a COVID-19 vaccine. It was just one more reason to love this extraordinary woman.
Epic songwriter, beloved singer and performer, philanthropist, and a voice for poor, working-class women everywhere, Dolly Parton is adored by legions of diverse fans. She is beloved for her generosity as well as her talent. Her literacy program, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, is currently providing books to almost 850,000 children. When her childhood home of Sevier County was hit hard by wildfires, the Dollywood Foundation donated $1,000 per month to families who had lost their homes, as well as college scholarships to students affected by the fires. And these are just a few examples of her generosity!
Rev Rank: 'Dolly Parton: A MusiCares Tribute' proves we will always love you, Dolly lsureveille.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from lsureveille.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.