‘There’s Dolly’ | Woman describes Dolly Parton’s impact on her life

PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (WVLT) - Dollywood’s impact on East Tennessee goes far beyond businesses and their growth. Many people know the park and Dolly Parton herself are incredibly philanthropic from funding scholarships to maternity hospitals and everything in between.

Erin Gonzalez was one of the recipients of the Dolly Parton scholarship, which helped her to pursue her dreams at the University of Tennessee to study music.

Dolly not only helped Gonzalez get to college but also funded the facility where Gonzalez had her baby.

In LeConte Medical Center, the Dolly Parton Birthing Unit was named among the Best Maternity Hospitals in 2020, one of only four hospitals in Tennessee to receive the honor.

“It’s a wonderful facility, and you walk in, and there’s a giant photo of Dolly Parton, and you’re just like, ‘Okay, well I’m going to be taken care of.’ I know it so it is just funny that even in small aspects of my life there’s Dolly,” Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez said that she is forever grateful to Dolly Parton for changing her life. The influence continues as Gonzalez’s daughter now receives books from the Dolly Parton Imagination Library.

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