Dolly Parton Recruits Reba McEntire, Alison Krauss for Wildfire Benefit
Update: The performance lineup for “Smoky Mountains Rise” is growing with the recent additions of Chris Stapleton, Chris Young, Big & Rich, Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant, LoCash, Chris Janson and Montgomery Gentry.
Following the announcement of her My People Fund last week, Dolly Parton has shared details for an upcoming telethon to benefit the victims of the Gatlinburg, Tennessee, wildfires that damaged more than 2,400 buildings and claimed 14 lives. “Smoky Mountains Rise: A Benefit for the My People Fund” will air live December 13th at 8:00 p.m. ET on GAC.
For the telethon, Parton will gather a few of her most famous friends for a three-hour live national broadcast to raise money for the fund. Reba McEntire, Alison Krauss and Kenny Rogers are all scheduled to perform, as is Parton herself. Additional celebrity guests will be announced at a later date.
The telethon will also be simulcast via NASH Nights Live, a handful of iHeart Media digital and terrestrial stations, and TuneIn’s Country Roads channel, with more broadcast partners to come.
As Parton previously announced, victims of the fire who lost their homes will receive $1,000 a month from the fund for up to six months. Those interested in applying for or donating to the fund can do so at DollywoodFoundation.org.
The country icon established the fund in partnership with her Dollywood Company and her dinner theaters, all based in Sevier County, where Parton grew up. “I’ve always believed charity begins at home,” she wrote on the fund’s website. “And that’s why I’ve asked my companies to help me establish a fund to assist the victims of the Great Smoky Mountain wildfires in Tennessee.”