A group of Tennessee natives received an impromptu performance from Dolly Parton in the parking lot of a Walmart in Newport on Friday, Oct. 4. The music icon made an appearance during a press conference addressing the damage and devastation caused by Hurricane Helene. While speaking to the audience, she delivered a brief remix of “Jolene,” changing the infamous name to Helene and singing: “Helene, you came in here and broke us all apart.”
It was a light-hearted moment that Parton followed up with the announcement of her plan to donate $1 million to relief funds aiding those impacted by Hurricane Helene. “From myself, personally, just from my own bank account, I’m donating a million dollars today,” she told the crowd. “But there’s a lot to be done and we’re trying to find other ways to even raise more funds.”
For starters Parton is working in collaboration with The Dollywood Company to provide an additional $1 million. The $2 million will be donated to the Mountain Ways Foundation, which sustains relief and recovery efforts in East Tennessee, Western North Carolina, and the greater Appalachian region.
“We’re starting out with a good little hunk,” she continued. “And like I said, we’re trying to find new other ways to make money because it’s going to take a lot of money, as you know. And it’s going to take a long time. There’s still so much more to do.” There was more that she was meant to say, but she discarded whatever else was written on the teleprompter. “I don’t need to say a whole bunch of stuff because I like to speak from my heart,” she remarked.
Earlier in her speech, Parton reflected on the damage sustained in areas she became deeply familiar with while growing up in Tennessee. “Who knew in our little part of the country here — where I was born and raised right down the road — that we would have this kind of devastation,” she said. “I look around and I think, these are my mountains. These are my valleys. These are my rivers, flowing like a stream. These are my people. These mountain-colored rainbows, these are my people and this is my home … I just want you to know that I am totally with you ’cause I am part of you. I love you.”
Parts of the southeastern United States were ravaged when Hurricane Helene touched down last week. The Category Four hurricane left in its wake a rising death toll that has surpassed more than 220 people, according to NBC, while hundreds remain missing and unaccounted for. Hundreds of thousands of households are without power and infrastructural damage is widespread throughout the area.
Additional information about how to help, donate, and join relief efforts aiding those impacted by the climate disaster can be found here.