Dolly Parton has made it a point to help fight pediatric infectious diseases. Two years after the country singer donated $1 million to fund the research that helped develop the COVID-19 vaccine, Parton has made another $1 million donation to Vanderbilt University Medical Center located in Tennessee to help treat and prevent infections in children.
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VUMC announced the singer's latest donation. According to the news release, the donation will go toward the ongoing research on how bacteria and several viruses cause the diseases, preventing and understanding resistance to antibiotics and diagnosing and treating infections in children with cancer.
Through a statement, Parton noted, "I love all children. No child should ever have to suffer, and I'm willing to do my part to try and keep as many of them as I can as healthy and safe as possible."
"Dolly's previous support to infectious disease research, and also our pediatric cancer program, has already saved countless lives," stated Jeff Balser, president and CEO of VUMC and Dean of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. "This new gift will bolster our defenses against future threats to the safety of this region and society as a whole. It speaks volumes about her passion for people, and we couldn't be more thankful."
All dolled up ? pic.twitter.com/QWgvPUtSO8
— Dolly Parton (@DollyParton) June 6, 2022
This isn't the first time Parton has donated to a charity of her choice. Previously, she helped the families who were impacted by wildfires in Tennessee in 2016 and also gave $1 million to VUMC at the beginning of the pandemic in April 2020 to help combat COVID 19, leading to the development of the Moderna Vaccine.
The country legend also founded the literacy program Dolly Parton's Imagination Library back in 1995 and has donated over 100 million children's books. Parton has also supported the Susan G. Komen Foundation, which is the largest nonprofit source of funding for the fight against breast cancer.
