Over the years, country icon Dolly Parton has not only won over the world with her stunning music but also for her generous personality. In her home state, she is known for being a philanthropist who has championed many causes ranging from environmental conservation to childhood literally. Now the Jolene singer’s jointly owned Dollywood Parks & Resorts is making pricey education more accessible to its employees.
On Tuesday, the Tennessee-based theme park announced that it will start covering 100 percent of tuition for its employees who are pursuing an education. “One of The Dollywood Foundation’s key tenets is to ‘learn more.’ This program is created with that very tenet in mind. We want our hosts to develop themselves through advanced learning to fulfill the foundation’s other tenets: care more, dream more, and be more,” noted the President of Dollywood Company, Eugene Naughton, according to USA Today.
Breaking Good News Alert:
Dolly Parton's Dollywood Parks & Resorts has announced it will pay all tuition costs, fees, and books for employees who pursue higher education.
It includes all part-time, full-time, and seasonal employees from day one on the job.
♥️🎶 pic.twitter.com/wDiqecVgdq
— Goodable (@Goodable) February 9, 2022
The perks will be available to every employee on their first day after the program officially launches on February 24. Per WZTV, the funds will include textbook costs and fees. “When our hosts strive to grow themselves, it makes our business and our community a truly better place,” added Naughton. “We care about our hosts’ development and we want their future to grow because of love—not loans.” In addition to the tuition, employees will also have access to the Dollywood Family Healthcare Center and will be given free meals for every shift they work, reports CNN.
Last year, the 75-year-old singer announced her plans to expand Dollywood, which is located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. She revealed at the time that the new resort was a part of a half-billion-dollar investment plan. “That’s a lot of dough,” noted the legend at the time. Parton hasn’t stopped there, she had launched a beauty business and fragrance. She also had a production deal with Netflix and co-authored a book with James Patterson which will be out next month.
Dolly Parton introduces a new program for her Dollywood theme park that will cover 100% of tuition, fees and books for any of their employees who chooses to pursue higher education.
It will be available to all part-time, full-time, and seasonal employees from day one on the job. pic.twitter.com/vKn4wz6mBU
— Pop Base (@PopBase) February 9, 2022
Parton even donated $1 million to help fund research to develop a cure for COVID-19. With all her efforts, it doesn’t seem like the 9 to 5 singer is going to stop anytime soon. “I keep dreaming myself into a corner!” she told PEOPLE in December last year. “But I can’t stop now. I’ve learned you can’t just say, ‘Oh, my dream’s come true and I’m walking out of here.'”
“No, you’ve got to show you’re grateful and show that you’re not going to just leave it all in the hands of other people. So, I’m going to be right here, doing what I’m doing, ’til I fall over dead,” she noted.
Representative cover image source: Getty | Photo by Frazer Harrison
