Taylor Swift’s dedication to country music, as well as her dedication to being a well-rounded role model for children and teens, has not gone unnoticed. Now, the country starlet has donated a huge sum of money to ensure that musical education will continue to thrive.
Swift was acknowledged back in April when she received Nickelodeon’s Big Help award from the first lady, Mrs. Michelle Obama, for her selfless act towards tornado victims, her contribution to youth charities and for taking a strong stand against bullying.
Now, she has donated $4 million to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. CBS reports that the money will help to fund the Taylor Swift Education Center, which is scheduled to open in 2014.
The two-story education center will sprawl across 7,500 square feet, with three classrooms and an exhibit space which will allow the museum to add a youth center. According to reports, the addition will have a “musical petting zoo” along with a “wet” room where kids can paint and create posters for concerts along with other projects.
Swift’s donation will go down as the museum’s largest gift received to date, and is the second largest from an individual. Museum Director Kyle Young said of the donation, “It will allow us to do what we do better, serve more people, develop new programs and I'm happy to say that as we talked through this opportunity with Taylor, she very much wants to be involved in an advisory capacity in what we do. Is there a better person out there who's in touch with a young audience? I think not.”