In 1991, Dolly Parton made an startling offer to every seventh and eighth-grade student in Sevier County, Tennessee where she grew up: the world-famous singer would personally give them $500 each if they graduated high school. The children had to pick a buddy to hold each other accountable; if one didn’t graduate, the other wouldn’t get the cash. But the idea worked: the county’s high school dropout rate plummeted from 35% to 6%.
This was the sort of practical, radical act of charity that Parton, nicknamed “St Dolly”, dedicated her life to trying out. By showing that all it took was the promise of $500 to incentivise kids to stay at school, Sevier County had to address the drop out rate (and it did). It is telling that the tributes shared after Parton’s death at 80 have been equally about her philanthropy and her music. There was so much of both. She told People in 2021: “I’m kind of addicted to the feeling of giving. Knowing that I’m doing something good for someone else.”
