Parton will be honored alongside acclaimed fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier. The GALA will take place at the Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan. This charitable event will feature performances from Nile Rodgers and his band Chic, as well as country superstar Dolly Parton.
Grammy winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Nile Rodgers of Chic serves as the founder of the WAFF. This nonprofit organization is dedicated to the vision of a worldwide family; moreover, it implements and supports programs that promote cultural diversity while nurturing the talents, and ideas of the youth that are changing the world in a positive manner.
Rodgers wanted to recognize the illustrious career and accomplishments of multifaceted entertainer Dolly Parton. “Dolly’s exemplary work as an artist, businesswoman and philanthropist is an example for us all,” Rodgers said in a press statement, prior to adding that Dolly symbolizes “everything that is great about music and America.”
Parton noted that she is very humbled to be receiving the coveted Mattie J.T. Stepanek Peacemaker Award. “I have often said that I don’t count my awards, but this is one I will not soon forget,” she remarked.
She added that the Mattie J.T. Stepanek Peacemaker Award is a representation of many of the characteristics that she strives to live by every single day.
The veteran country singer-songwriter continued, “I believe in family, I believe in love, and I believe that together we can change the world.”
Past recipients of the prestigious Mattie J.T. Stepanek Peacemaker Award include former President Jimmy Carter, Desmond Tutu, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Roger Daltrey, CBE of The Who, the late Dr. Maya Angelou, and Quincy Jones.
To learn more about the 2019 We Are Family Foundation (WAFF) GALA, check out its official website.
