Country legend Dolly Parton has been awarded the 2022 Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy.
The medal has been awarded every two years since 2001, with 2021 being an exception due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Along with Parton, Carnegie will be honoring Dallas entrepreneur Lyda Hill, Kenyan industrialist Manu Chandaria, and Oklahoma investment family members Lynn and Stacy Schusterman.
The honorees will be recognized in a private ceremony in New York on Oct. 13.
“I’ve always believed that if you are in a position to help, you should help, and I truly hope that I can be an inspiration for others to lift up those around them,” Parton said of the award in a statement. “Whether through my Imagination Library or giving to COVID-19 research, I try to support things that have a special meaning for me. I hope everyone can find something they’re passionate about supporting and do what they can to help make this world a better place.”
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Parton has previously rejected two Presidential Medals of Freedom and an induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. However, Parton is nevertheless set to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in November.
Eric Isaacs, the president of the Carnegie Institution for Science and a member of the medal selection committee, pointed to all honorees’ involvement during the pandemic as the reason for their nomination.
“Obviously, this is a very difficult time with the pandemic,” Isaacs said. “But we think environmental issues are probably equally, if not more, impactful in the sense that pandemics like COVID-19 are likely to become more frequent as the atmosphere heats up. I think we take the long view in terms of our selections.”
The country star donated $1 million to COVID-19 research at Vanderbilt University in April 2020, which partly funded the Moderna vaccine.
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More recently, Parton donated another $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s pediatric infectious disease research.
