Dolly Parton has expressed her gratitude to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce for their generous $2 million contribution to her Imagination Library charity, playfully requesting their future offspring in return.
The 80-year-old country legend shared a video message on Instagram on Friday, declaring herself “blown away” by the couple’s donation ahead of their wedding.
“Now it’s evident that you two have made giving back a key part of your lives, so hey when you have your firstborn can I have it? Because that is gonna be one special baby,” Ms Parton quipped in the clip.
Wearing a red top paired with a white jacket, the singer concluded her message by blowing a kiss and referencing her iconic hit, saying “I will always love you.”
The Imagination Library, established under Ms Parton’s charitable Dolly Foundation, delivers free books monthly to children from birth through to their fifth birthday.
According to the programme’s website, approximately one in seven American children under five receives a book each month through the initiative.
The charity’s reach extends well beyond the United States, with operations running in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and the Republic of Ireland.
Ms Parton outlined the foundation’s guiding principles in her video message, stating: “You know the mission of the Dolly Foundation is to dream more, care more, learn more and be more.”
Dolly Parton shared a message to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce on their wedding day
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GETTYShe added that Ms Swift and Mr Kelce’s substantial gift would enable the organisation to “continue that mission even in bigger ways now with your money.”
The contribution to Ms Parton’s literacy programme forms part of a much larger philanthropic gesture from the couple, who have donated a total of $26 million (£19.4 million) to 20 different organisations ahead of their nuptials.
The beneficiaries include nine food banks, an animal cruelty organisation, seven educational programmes and three children’s hospitals.
City Harvest, New York’s largest food rescue organisation, received $1 million, which CEO Jilly Stephens described as “a love letter to New York” that would help feed more than 2.4 million people this summer.
New York has been preparing for the rumoured wedding all day
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The Rhode Island Community Food Bank also received $1 million, with CEO Melissa Cherney telling People magazine that staff were initially “speechless” upon learning of the gift.
The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank’s donation will provide approximately four million meals, according to the organisation’s Chief Development Officer Roger Castle.
Ms Swift and Ms Parton share similar musical trajectories, with both artists beginning their careers in country music before the younger star transitioned to pop.
The couple are expected to exchange vows at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Friday, with a guest list reportedly exceeding 1,000 people.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are understood to be tying the knot in New York on Friday
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Prince William appeared on Travis Kelce’s New Heights podcast ahead of the ceremony, though he remained coy about whether he would attend.
He told Heart Breakfast in May: “I’m hoping, and I’m sure there might be an invitation around, but we’ll see.”
The starting five from the New York Knicks’ championship-winning team have reportedly received invitations, reflecting Ms Swift’s well-documented support for the basketball franchise.