The “Bezos Courage & Civility Award,” granted by Amazon.com founder and billionaire Jeff Bezos, honours individuals who “pursue solutions with courage and civility,” he wrote online. Country music icon and philanthropist Dolly Parton won the $100 million prize.
Along with his longtime partner, news journalist Lauren Sanchez, Bezos, who also owns the space rocket company Blue Origin, announced the prize on Friday.
Parton is “a woman who contributes with her heart and leads with love and compassion in all facet of her job,” Sanchez wrote on Instagram.
We are eager to witness the good you will accomplish with this $100 million award, she remarked.
Parton, in a video clip of the ceremony posted online, said, “Wow! Did you say $100 million?”
“I think people who are in a position to help should put their money where their heart is. I will do my best to do good things with this money,” she said.
Parton has been a philanthropist for a very long time. She is a 76-year-old country, pop, and gospel singer-songwriter whose songs include “I Will Always Love You,” “Jolene,” and many other hits over the years.
In order to aid in the creation of a vaccine during the COVID-19 pandemic, she gave $1 million to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
The Dollywood Foundation, which focuses on education and economic assistance, was formed by Parton, who was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this month. Parton has also founded a number of other charities.
The first recipients of the Bezos Award, which was established in 2001, were the activist Van Jones, the first CEO of the REFORM Alliance and Dream Corps, and the chef and humanitarian Jose Andres, who founded World Central Kitchen to give food in the immediate wake of disasters.
