Dolly Parton has been awarded the $100 million “Courage and Civility Award” by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. “When people are in a position to help, you should help. And I know that I’ve always said, I try to put my money where my heart is. And I think you do the same thing,” Parton told billionaire Jeff Bezos as he awarded her the money. She joins prior recipients Chef José Andrés and Van Jones, the inaugural winners of the award in 2021. The money doesn’t have a designated cause it needs to be used toward aside from general charity. Andrés said he used his funds to help feed Ukrainians amid the country’s war with Russia, although Jones never specified what cause he would use the funds for. In March, he said the award gave him a 10-year window to disperse the funds. Parton has yet to specify how she intends to donate her $100 million sum.
We’ve just announced a new Courage and Civility award recipient — @DollyParton, who leads with her heart, and will put this $100 million award to great use helping so many people. She joins prior awardees, @VanJones68 and @Chefjoseandres. Congrats, Dolly! pic.twitter.com/dzTuoGVp3G
