Taylor Swift tops 2012 ‘Celebs Gone Good’ list

Taylor Swift tops a year-end ranking of celebrity philanthropists tallied by DoSomething.org, an organization that rallies teens to get involved in social change.

The 23-year-old pop-country singer and songwriter was cited on DoSomething’s “Top Celebs Gone Good of 2012” list for her $4-million donation earlier this year to create a new education center at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, “not to mention, her tremendous work for young people battling cancer, among many others.”

DoSomething’s citation also noted that earlier this month, Swift became the youngest recipient ever of the Ripple of Hope Award bestowed by the Robert F. Kennedy Center to community leaders who “demonstrate commitment to social change,” according to the center’s website.

Miley Cyrus came in at No. 2, for her work supporting the Saving Spot! Rescue nonprofit that finds homes for dogs in animal shelters in line to be put to death. Other pop artists who made the Top 10 are Lady Gaga (No. 4), Justin Bieber (No. 5), Pink (No. 7) and Selena Gomez (No. 9).

Hip-hop/R&B; power couple Jay-Z and Beyoncé appear in the No. 11 spot, followed by Demi Lovato at No. 16 and Carrie Underwood at No. 17, among the pop musicians in the Top 20.

DoSomething issues community action grants to groups and individuals to “help turn dream projects into a reality and take existing projects to the next level,” according to its website, which also claims that more than 1 million people have signed up as members and that 2.2 million people took part in campaigns the organization sponsored last year.

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Follow Randy Lewis on Twitter: @RandyLewis2

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