Written by: Katie Scott, Business Reporter
The country music superstar, Dolly Parton, has been announced as the latest recipient of the Bezos Courage and Civility Award.
Parton was given the award on stage by Jeff Bezos and his long-time partner, Lauren Sanchez. In an Instagram post after the event, Sanchez wrote that Parton was “...a woman who gives with her heart and leads with love and compassion in every aspect of her work.” She added: “We can’t wait to see all the good that you’re going to do with this $100 million award.”
Parton donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s vaccine research efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic and this was partially used to fund Moderna’s vaccine. She founded the Dollywood Foundation in 1988 and this now includes the Imagination Library, which donates books to children around the world.
This is the second year of this Bezos award. In its inaugural year, two $100 million dollar prizes were awarded. The recipients were activist Van Jones, the founding CEO of the REFORM Alliance and Dream Corps; and chef and humanitarian José Andrés - the founder of World Central Kitchen - an organisation, which provides food in the immediate aftermath of disasters.
