Barack Obama Thinks Beyoncé Is the Best Role Model for His Daughters: Do You?

Knowles and Destiny's Child band mate, Kelly Rowland, along with the former's family, founded the Survivor Foundation, a charitable entity set up to provide transitional housing for 2005 Hurricane Katrina victims and storm evacuees in the Houston area.[15] The Survivor Foundation extended the philanthropic mission of the Knowles-Rowland Center for Youth, a multi-purpose community outreach facility in downtown Houston.[15] Knowles donated $100,000 to the Gulf Coast Ike Relief Fund, which benefits victims of Hurricane Ike in the Houston area. She organized a fund raising benefit for Hurricane Ike relief through the Survivor Foundation.[294] In 2005, music producer David Foster, his daughter Amy Foster-Gillies, and Knowles wrote "Stand Up for Love", which would serve as the anthem of World Children's Day, an event which takes place annually around the world on November 20 to raise awareness and funds for children's causes worldwide. Destiny's Child lent their voices and support as global ambassadors for the 2005 World Children's Day program.[15] Knowles conducted food drives during stops on The Beyoncé Experience tour in Houston on July 14, Atlanta on July 20, Washington, D.C. on August 9, Toronto on August 15, Chicago on August 18, and Los Angeles on September 2, 2006.[295]


Knowles at the opening of the Beyoncé Cosmetology Center on March 5, 2010
On October 4, 2008, Knowles attended the Miami Children's Hospital Diamond Ball & Private Concert at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, where she was inducted into the International Pediatric Hall of Fame. Seven-year-old Ethan Bortnick dedicated and performed "Over the Rainbow" to Knowles.[296] After completing work on Cadillac Records (2008), Knowles donated her entire salary to Phoenix House, an organization of rehabilitation centers around the country. Knowles visited a Brooklyn, New York site in preparation for portraying singer Etta James, who was once addicted to heroin.[297] During this time, she recorded with various artists for "Just Stand Up!", a charity single for the Stand Up to Cancer charity. Joining Knowles on the song was Mariah Carey, Leona Lewis, Rihanna, LeAnn Rimes and Mary J. Blige, among others. Knowles also teamed up with the "Show Your Helping Hand" hunger relief initiative and General Mills Hamburger Helper. The goal was to help Feeding America deliver more than 3.5 million meals to local food banks. Knowles encouraged her fans to bring non-perishable groceries to her US concert tour stops.[298] In January 2010, Knowles participated in the Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief. She appeared in London with Jay-Z, Rihanna, and U2's Bono and The Edge, where she performed a piano version of "Halo".[299] Knowles was named the official face of the limited edition "Fashion For Haiti" T-shirt by the Council of Fashion Designers of America. The shirt, which reads: "To Haiti With Love", was designed by Peter Arnell, who also created the "Fashion for America" T-shirt which raised $2 million after 9/11.[300]
On March 5, 2010, Knowles and her mother Tina Knowles, opened the Beyoncé Cosmetology Center at the Brooklyn Phoenix House. The program offers a seven-month cosmetology training course for men and women there. L'Oréal donated all the products to be used at the center, and Knowles, along with her mother, have pledged to donate $100,000 annually.[301] In April 2011, Knowles joined forces with US First Lady Michelle Obama and the National Association of Broadcasters Education Foundation to help boost her campaign against child obesity.[302] Knowles reworked her single "Get Me Bodied" (2007) and renamed it "Move Your Body" for the Let's Move! Flash Workout initiative.[303] On April 9, 2011, an instructional video, featuring a group of teenagers dancing to "Move Your Body" was released online.[303] On April 26, 2011, Knowles released a video of her own version of the exercise routine.[304] Following the death of Osama bin Laden, Knowles released a charity single titled "God Bless the USA", to help raise funds for the New York Police and Fire Widows' and Children's Benefit Fund.[305] The song was originally released in 1984 by country musician Lee Greenwood.[305] Its popularity increased after the September 11 attacks, and it was re-released following the 2003 invasion of Iraq. On July 27, 2012, it was announced that Knowles would become an ambassador for the 2012 World Humanitarian Day campaign, and that she would be donating her song "I Was Here" and its music video to the campaign.[306][307] The campaign, which launched on August 2, asked people around the world to pledge to help another person on World Humanitarian Day.[306] The music video for "I Was Here" was directed by Kenzo Digital and Sophie Muller, and filmed in front of a live audience at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on August 10.[308][309] On August 19, Knowles helped the campaign make social media history as more than one billion messages were shared at the same time in relation to the event.[306]