Dolly Parton’s heart of gold has received the recognition it deserves. 

The country music legend went to New York City (Oct. 13) to accept the 2022 Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy. Parton was one of five that received the prestigious honor for her extraordinary charitable efforts. The accolade aims to inspire “a culture of giving.” 

“Parton was recognized for her investments in alleviating poverty, strengthening early childhood education through the distribution of free books worldwide, increasing college access, and advancing medical research,” read the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy official YouTube. “Including on pediatric infectious diseases and the development of a COVID-19 vaccine.” 

During the global health crisis, Parton provided $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center to fund the Moderna vaccine. Most recently, the singer-songwriter gifted a generous donation to the Nashville-based hospital for pediatric infectious disease research. 

This is far from the first time the 76-year-old used her powerful platform to help others and strive for change. In 1995, Parton created her Imagination Library project. To date, the nonprofit inspired by her father has donated approximately 170 million books to kids. 

In 2016, the hitmaker lent a helping hand to families impacted by the wildfires. Nearly five years later, Parton’s Dollywood Foundation raised over $700,000 for middle Tennessee after harsh weather conditions caused devastating floods. 

Parton brought pure joy to the star-studded ceremony. During her five-minute-long acceptance speech,  she encouraged attendees to sing along to the Imagination Library theme song called  “Books, Books.” 

“I’m proud to have this. I was afraid I was gonna have to take my hair off to get this on,” she laughed at the podium. “I  really am just honored and proud to be amongst these great people doing all these great things to try to help the world,” she added. 

The vocalist continued to reveal her philanthropic secret. 

“I just give from my heart. I never know what I’m gonna do or why I’m gonna do it. I just see a need, and if I can fill it, then I will. I’m sure a lot of you out there, one time or another, have been made fun of for some reason,” Parton pointed out. “That’s a terrible feeling, and to know that something or someone can make your life better is great. So, I’m just proud and honored to receive this medal, and I’ll probably sleep in this tonight since I just got it,” she added. 

Following the heartfelt ceremony, Parton told The Associated Press that she doesn’t give back to be acknowledged. 

“I don’t do it for attention,” she clarified. “ But look! I’m getting a lot of attention by doing it. I get paid more attention than maybe some others that are doing more than me.” 

In September, the state of California joined forces with Parton’s Imagination Library. Children under five on the West Coast, now have the opportunity to utilize the resources the program offers.  

“That is a big deal,” she shared with the outlet. That’s a lot of children. And we’re so honored and proud to have all the communities that make that happen because I get a lot of glory for the work a whole lot of people are doing. I’m proud to be the voice out there doing what I can to get more books into the hands of more children.” 

Parton shared the spotlight with Manu Chandaria, Lyda Hill, Lynn Schusterman, and Stacy Schusterman. For information, medalofphilanthropy.org.