Country music legend Dolly Parton is asking her fans to send uplifting messages to patients, families and staff at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt in honor of the holiday season.
Parton is among several other country stars participating in Vanderbilt's 'Jingle Challenge,' which kicked off on Wednesday, FOX 17 News reports. The '9 to 5' singer is setting a goal of 10,000 uplifting virtual messages, which include a customizable photo of Parton on Santa's sleigh in the Hannah Dennison Butterfly Garden in the children's hospital, which is named in honor of the singer's niece, who survived childhood cancer after receiving care at the hospital.
“Knowing that kids at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt will get to see how many people across the world are thinking of them this holiday season makes my heart happy,” Parton said via FOX 17 News. “You know, The Hannah Dennison Butterfly Garden is something we dedicated a few years back, so I know adding this picture of hope to our Dolly Digital Sleigh campaign will be a blessing to all the families.”
Other country stars participating in the 'Jingle Challenge' include Blake Shelton, Lauren Alaina, Jon Pardi, Sara Evans, Rascal Flatts, Lady A, Runaway June, Abby Anderson, Jillian Jacqueline and Travis Denning.
Parton is also reported to have donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, which helped researchers develop Moderna's experimental coronavirus vaccine, which reported a 94.5% effective rate on last month.
More information on the 'Jingle Challenge' can be found here.