Dolly Parton Donated $1 Million to Moderna's Vaccine Research The country icon continues her crusade to keep America healthy and comforted amid the pandemic.
By Kenny Herzog •
While other celebrities were scrambling to monetize and modernize their act for virtual consumption in the pandemic's early days, Dolly Parton was appealing directly and unselfishly to children with a weekly series of bedtime stories. Granted, she's in a better position than most to focus on philanthropic efforts in a time of crisis, but turns out she's been putting those Dollywood dollars toward more than soothing toddlers with twangy interpretations of Llama Llama Red Pajama and Last Stop on Market Street.
As has been reported by numerous eagle-eyed journalists, Parton was listed among the benefactors who backed biotech company Moderna's trial-phase work on the Covid-19 vaccine that has since proved nearly 95 percent effective (see "Related" link below). Per a New England Journal of Medicine Preliminary Report, the 74-year-old music and entertainment legend contributed $1 million to research efforts via the Dolly Parton Covid-19 Research Fund, in partnership with Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Related: Moderna Says Its Coronavirus Vaccine Is 94.5% Effective Against Covid-19
Parton developed a working relationship with Vanderbilt after being treated there for minor injuries sustained in a 2013 car accident. She has yet to comment on the contribution, but one thing is clearly despite all the current uncertainty: Dolly will always love you.
