Dolly Parton's generosity continues with telethon for Tennessee fire victims
On top of Dolly Parton's pledge to donate $1,000 a month to families who lost their homes in a destructive wildfire near the Great Smoky Mountains last week, the country singer is now hosting a telethon.
The event is set for Dec. 13 in Nashville, Dollywood spokesman Pete Owns confirmed to Mashable.
The additional fundraiser comes less than a week after Parton announced in a video that her Dollywood Foundation had set up the My People Fund, which will provide $1,000 each month for up to six months to families who lost their homes in the wildfires.
Last Monday night the fire spread through Gatlinburg and the nearby eastern Tennessee area, ravaging businesses, homes and other property -- photos showed cars melting in the extreme heat.
At least 13 people were killed in the drought-fueled wildfire and more than 1,400 structures were destroyed or damaged, according to Tennessee emergency officials.
The blaze almost reached Parton's Dollywood theme park, and did manage to damage some resort buildings in the nearby area. Guests were evacuated from cabins and the Parton-themed attraction was closed for two days.
More details about the telethon are expected to be released in the coming days.
Sasha is a news writer at Mashable's San Francisco office. She's an SF native who went to UC Davis and later received her master's from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. She's been reporting out of her hometown over the years at Bay City News (news wire), SFGate (the San Francisco Chronicle website), and even made it out of California to write for the Chicago Tribune. She's been described as a bookworm and a gym rat.
