Dolly Parton and a number of her friends including Reba McEntire, Kenny Rogers and Alison Krauss are set to perform during Smoky Mountains Rise: A Benefit for the My People Fund at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, on Great American Country.
The Telethon will also be aired via live streams on USAToday.com and the USA Today National Network; Tennessean.com; Knoxnews.com; Commercialappeal.com; Jacksonsun.com; Theleafchronicle.com; and Dnj.com.
The nationally-broadcast, three-hour telethon seeks to raise money for the Dollywood Foundation My People Fund, established by Parton, The Dollywood Company and Parton’s dinner theaters in the wake of last week’s wildfires in the entertainment icon’s home area of Sevier County, Tennessee.
Smoky Mountains Rise also will be simulcast across multiple radio chains, including iHeart Media's digital and select on-air platforms, Cumulus Media's NASH Nights LIVE, TuneIn's Country Roads channel, and several other platforms which are set to be announced shortly. Additionally, other celebrities joining Smoky Mountains Rise will be announced in the coming days.
“My home in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee is some place special,” Ms. Parton said. “Wildfires have affected many of the people—my people—who live in those beautiful mountains. We want to provide a hand up to those families who have lost everything in the fires. I know it has been a trying time for my people and this assistance will help get them back on their feet.”
The My People Fund will provide $1,000 each month to Sevier County families whose homes are uninhabitable or were completely destroyed in the recent Smoky Mountain wildfires. Any family who lost their primary residence (renters and homeowners) due to the wildfires in Sevier County will be eligible. A pre-application for those affected is available at dollywoodfoundation.org.
During the telethon, viewers will be asked to call 1-866-CARE MORE to donate to the My People Fund.
Anyone who would like to make a tax-deductible contribution to the My People Fund may visit dollywoodfoundation.org. For those wishing to send donations via mail, those contributions should be sent to: My People Fund, c/o Dollywood Foundation, 111 Dollywood Lane, Pigeon Forge, TN 37863.
Help the Dollywood Foundation share the word about this effort by using the hashtags #MyPeopleFund and #someplacespecial.