Dolly Parton donates $1 million to coronavirus research

Country music star Dolly Parton said Wednesday she is donating $1 million toward coronavirus research. 

Parton is donating to research currently being conducted at Vanderbilt University Medical Center on a cure for the coronavirus, amid the global pandemic. 

“My longtime friend Dr. Naji Abumrad, who’s been involved in research at Vanderbilt for many years, informed me that they were making some exciting advancements towards research of the coronavirus for a cure,” Parton said in an Instagram post, announcing her donation. 

Parton encouraged others who can afford it to make donations as well. 

In addition to the donation, Parton this week announced a bedtime reading series aimed at comforting children amid the pandemic and subsequent school closures across the country. 

The “Goodnight with Dolly” series will launch Thursday under Parton’s nonprofit organization, Imagination Library, which sends free books to children around the world. 

Parton offered a message of hope in a recent Instagram post, saying when the pandemic ends, “we’re going to all be better people” and asking people to “keep the faith.” 

“Don’t be too scared. It’s going to be alright. God loves us,” she said in the video.