Philanthropy

Rihanna She created her Believe Foundation in 2006 to help terminally ill children. She explained her reasons for starting the Foundation saying, "When I was young and I would watch television and I would see all the children suffering, I always said: when I grow up, I want to help." She has also performed a number of concerts to raise funds for both charities and the Foundation and is also a 2008 Cartier Love Charity Bracelet Ambassador.

Rihanna performed at Madonna’s Raising Malawi fundraiser on February 6, 2008 in New York City . After becoming an honorary cultural ambassador for Barbados, she became involed with DKMS, an international donor network based in Tübingen, Germany, to try to find a donor for Lisa Gershowitz Flynn. Rihanna was diagnosed in November w/ acute myelogenous leukemia.

In January 2008, She contributed in the fight against AIDS when rihanna visited the H&M in New York to support Fashion Against AIDS by presenting her t-shirt design and signing autographs for a limited time with slogans like "Believe" and "Stop and Think." The collection features t-shirts and hoodies designed by Rihanna, Timbaland and other well-known designers, musicians and artists. The line, called Fashion Against AIDS, was launched in February 2008 to raise awareness of the disease among teens and spread awareness about HIV/AIDS.

In August 2008, She and other pop, rock, R&B and country singers such as Carrie Underwood, Ciara, Beyoncé Knowles, Leona Lewis, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, and Fergie recorded the charity single, "Just Stand Up!", the theme song to the anti-cancer campaign Stand Up to Cancer and its theme song. The singers performed the song live on September 5, 2008.

In 2008, She was selected as the spokesmodel for Gucci’s 1st United Nations Children's Fund ad campaign. Rihanna appeared in the fashion house’s Tattoo Heart campaign, which premiered in December 2008.

She was photographed in series of special edition print ads with United Nations Children's Fund items, 25 percent of sales will benefit the children’s charity.

On November 19, 2008, She was enlisted by Gucci's Frida Giannini along with Madonna to light the United Nations Children's Fund Christmas snowflake in New York City at the Grand Army Plaza.

In 2008, Rihanna became the global representative and the face of the fourth annual Gucci Campaign to Benefit United Nations Children's Fund. The campaign aimed to raise funds for children in Africa through the sale of its Tattoo Heart collection of bags, which launched worldwide on November 19, 2008.

Rihanna has also been apart of many benefit concerts to help raise money for various illnesses, such as cancer for Hope Rocks. She performed on January 20, 2009 at the Recording Industry Association of America's Presidential Inauguration Charity Ball to raise money for the world largest anti-hunger organization.

On April 2, 2009, She visited the NYU Medical Center to help look for another bone marrow donor for a young girl named Jasmina Amena. She 1st learned about Jasmina's plight in February 2009, when Rihanna saw the moving video Jasmina's best friend, Isabelle Huurman, and her mother, Karen Detrick, made appealing for donors to save Jasmina. She honored Jasmina's best friend, Isabella for her efforts for trying to save Rihanna's best friend at a DKMS Gala on May 7, 2009. Jasmina eventually received her transplant on June 11, 2009, and is in recovery.

In September 2009, She performed at Jay-Z's "Answer to Call" concert, which paid tribute to the police officers and firefighters who died on the September 11 attacks.