Dolly Parton has been one of the most beloved celebs for decades.
Not only is the star talented and charismatic, she’s also known for her philanthropy over the years.
In April 2020, as the coronavirus began to spread worldwide, Dolly donated $1 million to the disease’s research at Vanderbilt University, which helped fund Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine.
While that might have been the first time a lot of folks saw Parton give back for the greater good, she’s been doing this for longer than some of her fans have been alive.
She originally launched The Dollywood Foundation in 1988 with the goal of decreasing high school drop out rates.
She then started the Buddy Program, in which the “Jolene” gave $500 to every seventh and eighth grader who finished high school.
According to the organization, the initiative was successful and the dropout rate declined from 35 percent to just 6 percent.
In 1995, The Dollywood Foundation’s Imagination Library began sending one book per month to each enrolled child in Sevier County from birth until their first year of school.
The library was founded in honor of Parton’s father, who was unable to read.
In 2007, Dolly held a benefit concert for new Sevier County hospital, and both Dollywood and Parton’s Dixie Stampede dinner theater pledged $250,000 each to the project.
LeConte Medical Center–the new hospital and cancer center in Sevier County–opened in 2010 and features a 30,000-square-foot Dolly Parton Center for Women’s Services.
In 2017, Parton donated $1 million to the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in honor of her niece, who was treated for leukemia at that hospital.
Now, the singer is doing good once again, this time, by giving a once-in-a-lifetime experience to a dying fan.
LeGrand Gold has been a big fan of Dolly Parton for almost his entire life.
When the Utah resident was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2019, he and his wife, Alice Gold, made a “bucket list” of 11 things he wanted to do before he died.
One of those wishes was to meet Dolly Parton.
“I thought, ‘Well, it’s never going to happen,’” he told KSL-TV of his dream.
Earlier this month, the father of five was told that his cancer was “spreading” and the chemo was “not working anymore.”
Unfortunately, that means he doesn’t have much time left to do everything on his list.
On a brighter note, Parton learned about his wish to meet her and called the Gold family on Friday morning.
His wife recorded the phone call, which started with Dolly asking the fan how he was feeling and thanking him for being such a loyal fan.
“Hey LG! It’s Dolly P!” the 77-year-old said. “I’ve heard you’ve been a fan of mine for many years and I just wanted to thank you for that.”
After talking for a little bit, Parton told LeGrand how thankful she was that they were on the same “journey together in this lifetime.”
“I’m just happy to know that I’ve touched your life in some way,” she continued. “So thank you for honoring me with that.”
LeGrand and his wife then got the chance to tell Parton how much she means to them.
“You’ve been a huge help, especially these past two years,” LeGrand said into the phone, as his wife gushed about the “many reasons” why they “love” her.
“We love your music, he has loved you his entire life, his family goes to Dollywood — like we have all been season pass holders for like ever — and we love you,” Alice said.
Toward the end of the call, Parton told LeGrand that she “will always love” him before serenading him with a short rendition of “I Will Always Love You.”
But, during this rendition, she changed the lyrics to “I will always love LG.”
“She sang a song, put my name in the song. I feel like I’m immortal now,” he said of the unforgettable moment.