"She's one of us"                       

• "She's one of us" - Click here to watch video as Dolly Parton became a lifetime Girl Scout

Pigeon Forge, Tennessee (June 15, 2007):  The most celebrated female country music singer and songwriter of all time is now a Girl Scout.

Dolly Parton was with more than 1,000 Tanasi Council Girl Scouts as she made the famous Girl Scout Promise and proudly received a lifetime membership pin. 

It happened Friday, June 15, 2007, at a theater in Dollywood, Parton’s East Tennessee theme park. 

"When I was a kid, I wanted to be just like you," Parton told the Girl Scouts.  

But 50 years ago, there were no troops in her rural Sevier County neighborhood. Today, Sevier County has more than 500 registered Girl Scouts-- even more are served through Tanasi Council’s outreach program, which brings Girl Scouting to schools and other organizations. 

"When I was a kid about all we had were our dreams, and I started dreaming early," said Parton. 

At just 10, she was a regular guest on a local television variety show.  At 18, she left the mountains of East Tennessee for the promise of country music stardom in Nashville. 

"Plan your life and do what you do best," Parton encouraged the girls.  "I'm here to tell you that you can be absolutely anything you want to be.  You may not want to be a star, but you do want to star in your own dreams." 

Alone on a stage with her guitar, Parton sang her favorite song, "Coat of Many Colors."  It tells the story of other children laughing at a coat Parton's mother had lovingly sewn from scraps of cloth.   

"Don't ever make fun of people," a serious Parton told the girls.  "Encourage people.  Remember, their little hearts are just as tender as yours." 

The icon then honored East Tennessee girls who have earned Girl Scouting's highest honor:  the Gold Award.  These Girl Scouts built on years of personal growth and spent more than 100 hours on a community service project to reach this pinnacle of Girl Scouting.  Parton gave each awardee a certificate and complimented them on the badges and patches adorning their uniforms. 

“Dolly realizes the importance of a program that helps girls grow into young women of courage and confidence,” said Glenda McCarter-Johnson, board chair of Girl Scouts of Tanasi Council and Parton’s childhood friend.  “She wants to let these girls know just how much they are appreciated for the work they do for the community.” 

Finally, Parton was given her own honorary Girl Scout sash with badges and patches symbolizing musical accomplishments and philanthropic work. 

"I'll have to work awfully hard to earn all of these!" Parton said. 

"No," explained McCarter-Johnson, “These are achievements you've been earning all your life." 

Parton has been praised for her many charitable efforts, especially in the area of literacy.  Her Imagination Library program mails one book a month to children from birth until they enter kindergarten.  The program started in Sevier County and has grown to include 36 states and parts of Canada. Many Girl Scouts were eager to see Dolly Parton because they had received those monthly books.  One of them was Girl Scout Laurel Bise.     

“This is awesome,” she says.  “You never know what you’re going to get to do in Girl Scouting!” 

About Girl Scouts of Tanasi Council…Girls Scouts of Tanasi Council is based in Knoxville, Tennessee, and serves more than 10,000 girls in 16 East Tennessee counties. Three thousand volunteers work with Tanasi. Additionally, hundreds of girls enjoy summer outdoor living every year at Camp Tanasi on 500 acres on Norris Lake in Anderson County. Membership is open to girls 5-17, and girls are welcome to join troops at all times of the year.