Taylor Swift gifts $100,000 to Dolly Parton's wildfires recovery fund

Written by . Published: December 09 2016

Taylor Swift has donated $100,000 to Dolly Parton's Tennessee wildfires charity fund.


The Shake It Off hitmaker has embraced the season of giving by teaming up with officials at the Academy of Country Music (ACM) to match their $100,000 gift to Dolly's My People Fund, which the country queen established last week (ends02Dec16) after wildfires swept across her native Sevier County.


The My People Fund aims to provide monthly donations of $1,000 to families who lost their homes in the tragedy.


"The Academy and ACM Lifting Lives are honored to contribute in a meaningful way to Dolly's heroic efforts to help the people of her hometown - and when Taylor heard what we were planning, she offered to match our gift, which gives it that much more impact," reads a statement issued by Academy Executive Vice President and Managing Director Tiffany Moon.


"We are so grateful to Taylor for her support to the Academy's charitable efforts through the years, and for helping us and Dolly Parton assist families in need at a time of crisis."


The generous donation comes days before Dolly stages her Smoky Mountains Rise: A Benefit for the My People Fund on Tuesday (13Dec16) in Nashville.


Parton will be joined at the three-hour telethon event by her famous friends Kenny Rogers, Reba McEntire, Alison Krauss, Chris Stapleton, LoCash, and Chris Young, among others.


Meanwhile, Kenny Chesney is also doing his part by joining forces with bosses at the Country Music Association (CMA) to each hand over $250,000 to benefit wildfire relief, with a portion of the donation going towards Parton's My People Fund.