In 1988 Dolly Parton pulled every 7th and 8th grader in Sevier County into a room and told them to pick a buddy.
She made them sign a contract.. if BOTH graduate, she hands you both $500. One fails, nobody gets paid.
The county dropout rate went from 35% to 6%.
She handed out the checks herself.
In 1989 she offered $500 to every kid in the county who wanted to go to the local college.
When Gatlinburg burned in 2016, she sent 900 families $1,000 a month for six months.
You've probably heard that part.
Here's the part you haven't:
The fund raised more than expected, so she showed up in May and handed every one of those families another $5,000 on top.
Then she quietly put $3 million into the recovery group that handles the years after the news trucks leave.
She built her county an entire hospital.
She played a benefit concert in 2007, Dollywood and the Stampede matched it, and LeConte Medical Center opened in 2010 with a birthing unit and a women's center in it.
In 2022 she started covering 100% of tuition, books, and fees for Dollywood employees.
Full-time, part-time, AND seasonal.
In 1991 she paid for a bald eagle sanctuary because the birds couldn't be released back into the wild, no press release.
And when Hurricane Helene came through here in Western North Carolina, she wrote a personal check for $1 million and her companies matched it.
She didn't owe North Carolina anything, but she helped us anyway.
She started the Imagination Library because her daddy couldn't read or write. Before he passed, he told her it was the most important thing she ever did.
Rest in Peace, Dolly 🇺🇸
As a pediatric neurosurgeon and a man of faith, I know every child bears the fingerprints of our Creator. A difficult diagnosis does not diminish a child’s worth. McKenna West showed extraordinary courage in defending Gabriel’s life. Candy and I are praying for him and his medical team.
🌊 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐯𝐞. #𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠
Come out to Renasant Field on Thursday, August 13th for the 7th-12th Grade Meet the Wave for @TupFB!
Event starts at 4:30 p.m. and will feature roster introductions as well as scrimmages featuring TMS up to Varsity.
82 years ago today, nearly 160,000 Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, launching the liberation of Europe.
We are free because they were brave. 🇺🇸
When God wanted to make David a king, He didn't give him a crown, He gave him a Goliath.
A lot of times when you feel like God's "breaking" you, He's actually BUILDING you for a specific purpose.
I just know there is someone who desperately needs to hear this today.
Yesterday on the National Mall at Rededicate 250, I reflected on the generations of Americans who built and preserved this nation through faith, courage, sacrifice, and perseverance.
Our Founders declared a revolutionary truth 250 years ago: our rights come from God, not government.
The American Dream is real because America remains a place where faith and freedom can turn impossibility into reality. 🇺🇸
#America250 @Freedom250
It was an honor to have my friend @davidnasser on the podcast this week.
To say his conversion story is "incredible" would be an understatement. Everyone in the room had chills listening to this...
TOUCHDOWN | Oxford
All the QBs!
JoJo Ginn finds the end zone from four yards out, following a blocked punt by William Johnson.
Ladies and gentlemen… that’s an Oxford PROGRAM RECORD for points scored in a game.
Oxford 63, Lafayette 20
40 sec 4Q