Dolly Parton, The Dolly-Parton Foundation, and the Bezos Courage and Civility Award: Bringing People Together to the Crossroads
The Bezos Courage and Civility Award was given this year to Dolly Parton, and Bezos said he and Snchez were going to shine a spotlight on it.
Parton is an advocate of philanthropy. Parton donated $1 million to vaccine research during Covid-19. Moderna used it to fund the Covid-19 vaccine.
“I just felt so proud to have been part of that little seed money that will hopefully grow into something great and help to heal this world,” she said. “I’m a very proud girl today to know I had anything at all to do with something that’s going to help us through this crazy pandemic.”
In 1988, Parton established the Dollywood Foundation, and eventually The Imagination Library, a program that helps children across the world access books.
Among her philanthropic efforts in her home state of Tennessee, Parton also created the Dolly Parton Scholarship, which provides $15,000 to recipients towards a college education.
Bezos’ methodical approach to giving stands in sharp contrast to that of his ex-wife, the philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, who recently gave away nearly $4 billion to 465 organizations in the span of less than a year.
The Bezos told CNN in an interview that he and his partner are going to be able to give away the money.
The discussion with Bezos and Snchez included a wide range of topics, from Bezos’s views on political dialogue and a possible economic recession to Snchez’s plan to visit outer space with an all-female crew.
Bezos said that the grantees of the Courage and Civility Award could bring people together to solve large challenges.
Bezos said that unity is one trait that will be necessary to confront climate change as he ranted about politicians and social media.
Even though he is no longer the CEO, Bezos is still involved in the greening of the company. Amazon is one of more than 300 companies that have pledged to reduce their carbon footprint by 2040 according to the principles of the Paris Climate Agreement, Bezos said, though Amazon’s
(AMZN) footprint grew by 18% in 2021, reflecting a pandemic-driven e-commerce boom. Amazon is under intense scrutiny from regulators, lawmakers, and civil society groups because of its effect on the climate and other issues.
Bezos compared his philanthropic strategy to his years-long effort constructing a titanic engine of e-commerce and cloud computing that has made him one of the most powerful people in the world.
He said figuring out how to do it in a levered way was the hard part, even as he gives away his billions. “It’s not easy. Building Amazon was not easy. It took a lot of hard work, a bunch of very smart teammates, hard-working teammates, and I’m finding — and I think Lauren is finding the same thing — that charity, philanthropy, is very similar.”
“There are a bunch of ways that I think you could do ineffective things, too,” he added. It’s important that you have good people on the team.
A Conversation between Bezos and Snchez on Managing a Femtoscopic Aircraft Company in the Southwestern Hemisphere
Many people of more modest means are bracing for an extended economic downturn as Bezos and Snchez plan their wealth plans.
The advice was meant for business owners and consumers alike, Bezos said in the interview, suggesting that individuals should consider putting off buying big ticket items they’ve been eyeing — or that companies should slow their acquisitions and capital expenditures.
The Bezos said to take some risk off the table. “Keep some dry powder on hand…. Just a little bit of risk reduction could make the difference for that small business, if we do get into even more serious economic problems. You’ve got to play the probabilities a little bit.”
He argued that as an optimist, he believes that the American Dream can be even more obtainable in the future and that space travel could be accessible to the public within his lifetime.
Sánchez said the couple make “really great teammates,” though she laughed, “We can be kind of boring,” Sánchez said. Bezos smiled and said he was never boring.
Black Ops Aviation is a female-owned and operated aerial film and production company that was founded by Snchez. She said in the interview that they’ve both taken turns in the driver’s seat.
Sánchez told CNN she anticipates venturing into orbit herself sometime in 2023. While she did not state who would be joining her, she said, “It will be a great group of females.”
Bezos may be adding NFL owner to his resume. The Washington Commanders are a potential joint bid between Bezos and Jay-Z, as reported by CNN.
Bezos said that he played football growing up as a kid in Houston, Texas, and that he was his favorite sport.