Country music icon Dolly Parton already has her place in history thanks in part to her legendary music career, but her philanthropy, particularly in education, has not only raised admiration for her, it's helped countless number of children gain access to millions of books. Now, with a $100 million donation from billionaire Jeff Bezos, she might further expand her philanthropic efforts. 

The Amazon founder, along with his girlfriend, former Good Day LA anchor Lauren Sanchez,  made the surprise announcement over the weekend. Parton was awarded with Bezos' annual Courage and Civility Award, which he donates to humanitarian leaders. Past recipients of the $100 million award were Chef Jose Andre and CNN political commentator Van Jones.

Parton took to Twitter over the weekend to thank the couple and said she would do her best with the funds.

In an interview with CNN, Bezos said the courage and civility award is given to those who rise above conflict to find solutions for the greater good.

"Look at what she's done and how she's led her life. And the way she's done it, always with civility and kindness. She's a unifier. We have big problems in the world, and the way to get big problems done is we have to work together," he said.

The Dollywood Foundation, which was launched in 1988, was unable to provide Cheddar News with a comment on the donation as Bezos gives the funds directly to individuals so that they can dictate how and where they are disbursed.

One of Parton's largest and ongoing philanthropic efforts is The Dolly Parton Imagination Library. Since launching in 1995, the library has donated more than 150 million books to children worldwide.