The total is expected to rise as donations are counted.
When devastating wildfires ripped their way across Tennessee’s Sevier County last month, Dolly Parton was quick to lend her support. The country star grew up there and owns local businesses, including her Dollywood resort and theme park.
As firefighters fought the blaze that killed 14 people, burned over 17,000 acres and left more than 1,000 structures damaged, Parton established the My People Fund and vowed to donate $1,000 a month for six months to each of the families affected.
“I’ve always believed that charity begins at home,” Parton said of the fundraising effort. So that’s why the singer, songwriter and actress continued to raise money for wildfire victims and hosted a star-studded telethon Tuesday that raised nearly $9 million and counting for victims.
“I am overwhelmed by the generosity of the people who have donated from all over the country and to my friends who donated their time, their talent, and money for My People,” Parton said in a statement provided to The Tennessean. “The response has been so overwhelming that we haven’t been able to count all of the donations yet; right now, in total, we have raised about $9 million for the folks who lost everything in Sevier County.”
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Dolly Parton's telethon raises nearly $9 million for Tennessee wildfire victims https://t.co/mOX7yBA0ps via @HuffPostEnt
— Rebecca Shapiro (@RebeccaShap) December 15, 2016
@CalebHowe @RebeccaShap @HuffPostEnt ❤️😎https://t.co/lF4eOV9Fwc
— VK (@vjeannek) December 15, 2016
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