Dolly Parton's Dollywood Offers FREE Tuition & Books For Employees!

Singer Dolly Parton knows a little something about working “9 to 5”!

The legendary country singer is well-known for her generosity. She decided to take things one step further on Wednesday by offering her Dollywood employees free tuition!

According to Vanity Fair, Dolly Parton will cover the financial expenses for any employee who is looking to go back to school.

Herschend Enterprises, the operating partner behind Dolly Parton's Dollywood, Dollywood’s Splash Country, Dolly Parton’s Stampede, Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort, Dollywood Cabins, and Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show, made the announcement official on Wednesday morning.

The company announced that they will start covering “100% of tuition, fees, and books for any of their employees who wish to further their schooling.”

This program will be offered through their GROW U pilot program, which will be available to employees starting on February 24, 2022. This perk will be offered to all employees: seasonal, part-time, and full-time. Employees will be able to enroll in the program starting on their first day of work. There are more than 30 learning partners available for them to enroll in, including majors like business administration and leadership, technology, finance, marketing, and culinary arts.

For employees looking to pursue fields in hospitality, engineering, art design, or human resources, the company will provide partial funding of up to $5,250 per year for 150 select programs.

In an interview with the local Tennessee news outlet WATE, the president of The Dollywood Company, Eugene Naughton, discussed the importance of providing this benefit to their employees.

“We know when our hosts are happy and feel cared for that they are going to pass that along to our guests,” he explained. “The creation of the program allows another avenue for us to care for our hosts.”

“One of The Dollywood Foundation’s key tenets is to ‘learn more.’ This program is created with that very tenet in mind,” he continued. “We want our hosts to develop themselves through advanced learning to fulfill the foundation’s other tenets: care more, dream more, and be more. When our hosts strive to grow themselves, it makes our business and our community a truly better place.”

This is not the only philanthropic endeavor that Dolly Parton has pursued in recent years. Vanity Fair reported that Dolly Parton annually donates over one million dollars through her Dollywood Foundation, which supports local communities in Tennessee.

Dolly Parton also provides children in local communications with free, high-quality books every month through her Imagination Library. And, although the COVID-19 vaccine is still a controversial subject, Dolly Parton donated $1 million dollars to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center to help the development of the Moderna vaccine.

Although Dolly Parton is 76-years-old, she’s showing no sign of slowing down! Parton recently embarked on her latest entrepreneurial endeavor: baking.

As The Blast previously reported, Dolly Parton is making it easier than ever for fans to enjoy a sweet treat from the comfort of their own kitchen. Some of the cake mixes and frostings for sale are inspired by some of Dolly’s own family recipes, including Coconut Cake and Banana Puddin’ Cake.

In a press release, Dolly said, “I have always loved to cook and, growing up in the South, I especially love that authentic Mom and Pop kind of cooking.”

“Baking was no different,” she continued. “I had plenty of people to show me what’s what in the kitchen… my Mama, my grandmothers, and my aunts were all wonderful bakers. They taught me everything I know, from biscuits and gravy to chocolate cake. Now I am proud to share some of those favorites with all of you.”

“I am excited to launch my own line of cake mixes and frostings with Duncan Hines, bringing that sweet, Southern-style baking experience I enjoy to others,” she added.

Dolly’s baking mixes and frostings are anticipated to hit grocery stores starting in March 2022.