Country music icon Dolly Parton has announced that she will cover college tuition for employees at the 25 parks owned by Herschend Enterprises, the parent company of her Dollywood theme park.
The program, called GROW U, will offer Herschend’s 11,000 employees access to more than 100 fully-funded degree programs and partial funding for 150 other programs.
The education benefits are available to every employee, full-time, part-time and seasonal, and can be accessed on the first day of work. The benefits will begin Feb. 24. The company also will cover the cost of textbooks and other related expenses.
“Our goal at Dollywood Parks and Resorts is to provide the best possible experience for both our guests and our hosts,” Eugene Naughton, president of The Dollywood Co., said in a release. “We know when our hosts are happy and feel cared for that they are going to pass that along to our guests. The creation of the program allows another avenue for us to care for our hosts.”
Dollywood also pays some child care costs and offers opportunities to help employees develop leadership skills.
• Peter Santo can be reached at psanto@washingtontimes.com.
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