March 12, 1998 | Read Time: 1 minute
George magazine (March) has selected the Hollywood celebrities it considers the most effective in doing good works.
The magazine says that when it set out on the task, it wanted to know “What is the truth? Are Hollywood celebs actually doing good, or are they just getting good press?” The answers provided “an embarrassment of riches,” the magazine said. In the last six years, the magazine writes, Hollywood has given $23.5-million to political campaigns and “at least that much” to charitable organizations.
So why does Hollywood get a bad rap for being stingy? David Geffen, the entertainment mogul who the magazine estimates has given away more than $40-million since 1991, had a ready answer: “No good deed goes unpunished.”
George’s list is an effort to counter that attitude. Among the 14 celebrities it cites:
* Jimmy Smits, the actor, who last year helped form the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts in the District of Columbia.
* Nancy Daly, who helped rejuvenate the Warner Bros. studio and has founded four charities that help kids.
* Bette Midler, the singer and actress, who started a project that hires people who are trying to get off welfare to carry out projects that beautify New York City. >
