Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede and The Dollywood Company donate $500,000 to make the new Pigeon Forge Boys & Girls Club of the Smoky Mountains a reality.

Dixie Stampede and The Dollywood Company each donated $250,000 toward the project during the groundbreaking ceremony for the new facility on Thursday afternoon.

The Boys & Girls Club of the Smoky Mountains has received an outpouring of support from the local community, but the donations from Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede and The Dollywood Company helped push the Club beyond its goal of raising $2 million for the new facility.

Jim Rule, Dixie Stampede President, and Jamie Parish, Dixie Stampede General Manager, joined Craig Ross, The Dollywood Company President, and Gene Scherrer, Dollywood General Manager, in making the donation during the ceremony.

Rule said,

“The Boys & Girls Club is an amazing example of an organization which makes a profound impact on the community it serves. This donation is to benefit an organization that provides wonderful services to our hosts’ families and is integral to the quality of life here in Pigeon Forge.”

Read the full press release at DixieStampede.com.