This year's "People of the Year" honors trailblazers in their fields who have tried to help make the world a little bit better. Naturally, Dolly Parton is among those honored.
Parton created her "Imagination Library" years ago, which has provided over 160 million books to kids in need since inception. Her giving didn't stop during the pandemic. Early on during COVID-19, she donated $1 million to support the research happening at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center. That research resulted in the Moderna vaccine, which we know has become very widely available.
Parton just has this to say -- "It makes my heart feel good to know that I can do something for somebody else." It makes ours feel good, too!
In addition to Parton, actress Sandra Oh and Olympian Simone Biles rounded out the list alongside "America's Teachers" for facing the unheard-of challenges in educating kids in the midst of a pandemic. Sandra Oh made the list for her strong stance against anti-Asian violence and harassment while Simone Biles highlighted mental health on the world's biggest sports stage, the Summer Olympics.