Famous American Country music singer Dolly Parton has pledged $1 million in relief for victims of Hurricane Helene.
According to the singer, who spoke during an event when she went down to Walmart in Newport on Friday, she was moved by the devastating effect of Hurricane Helene, which reportedly affected six different states in the United States, including her home state, Tennessee, where she was born and raised.
The Hurricane Helene which has been described by some news outlets as the strongest hurricane on record to strike the Big Bend region, resulting in widespread destruction across Southeastern United States and reportedly claiming hundreds of lives reportedly affected other states including North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Virginia.
Dolly Parton was born and raised in Locust Ridge, Tennessee to a poor family living deep in rural Appalachia.
During her visit to Walmart, the Country music icon pledged to give her support through Mountain Ways Foundation, a nonprofit organisation dedicated to providing immediate assistance to victims of ongoing disaster, coordinating efforts with local organisations and officials to ensure that essential resources reach the most affected areas efficiently.
She said the donation would be matched by all her businesses in Eastern Tennessee including Dollywood Parks & Resorts, Dolly Parton’s Stampede, Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show and the Dollywood Foundation.
Similarly, Walmart U.S. CEO John Furner disclosed that the company, joining efforts with Sam’s Club and the Walmart Foundation would top its donation from the initial $6 million to $10 million to hurricane relief efforts across all the affected states.
In a statement Friday, U.S President, Joe Biden said rebuilding the damage will cost “billions of dollars.”
Meanwhile, other notable personalities across the U.S, including Morgan Wallen and Ivana Trump have also joined in on the relief efforts to victims.
While Wallen reportedly donated the sum of $500,000 to the American Red Cross as part of relief efforts for victims of the Hurricane Helene in his hometown region of East Tennessee, Ivana Trump reportedly went with her 10-year-old son Joseph to North Carolina where she was seen serving food and handing out supplies to families who were affected by the storm.
According to reports, Ivana also donated 300 Starlink systems from SpaceX to help people in the affected state keep in touch over super-fast internet.
