Rihanna's Selfie Gone Wrong Autographed Phone Goes to The GRAMMY Museum

Rihanna's Selfie Gone Wrong Autographed Phone Goes to The GRAMMY Museum

LOS ANGELES, May 21, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Whoops! A courtside selfie gone wrong has turned into a successful charitable gesture for the Los Angeles Police Foundation thanks to Rihanna.

After donning an LAPD wristband at the request of Los Angeles Police Commissioner Steve Soboroff, the singer was snapping a selfie with him when she dropped and cracked his phone. Two days later, Soboroff saw Rihanna courtside again and told her of his plans to auction the phone to raise money for the Los Angeles Police Department. Rihanna signed the back of his phone, "Sorry! I (heart) LAPD. Rihanna."

In the days since, Rihanna tweeted her apology out to her 35 million Twitter followers and pledged $25,000 to the Los Angeles Police Foundation. Her gift was then generously matched by Patti and Steve Soboroff. In addition, Soboroff placed the autographed phone on eBay where bidding started at $250. Hopes of raising at least $10,000 were wildly surpassed when the last of 116 bids came in at $66,500. That bidder, as it turns out, was not qualified, and the bid price was quickly matched by a private donor who required anonymity. Half of the proceeds will go to the Los Angeles Police Foundation for the LAPD Cadets and the other half will go to the Los Angeles Police Memorial Foundation to support the families of fallen officers.

Soboroff stated, "On behalf of the Cadets and the Los Angeles Police Memorial Foundation, I am delighted that Rihanna's wonderful gesture of donating $25,000 plus her authorizing the sale of the "selfie phone" resulted in the anonymous buyer turning around and donating the world's most famous selfie phone to The GRAMMY Museum for display to the public!"

"It's not often that we are able to obtain an artifact so quickly after it makes headlines," said Rita George, deputy executive director of The GRAMMY Museum. "We're excited to welcome this interesting piece of pop culture into our permanent collection here at The GRAMMY Museum and we are even more excited to show our support for the Los Angeles Police Department and the great work that they do."

"I am thrilled to acknowledge and thank the donors for their generous contributions totaling $116,500 for the LAPD Cadet Program and the families of fallen/wounded officers," said Cecilia Glassman, executive director of the Los Angeles Police Foundation.

About the Los Angeles Police Foundation

The Los Angeles Police Foundation is an independent, not-for-profit organization that provides critical resources and vital support to the Los Angeles Police Department. From essential equipment and state-of-the-art technology to specialized training and innovative programs that would otherwise be unfunded, the support it provides directly improves public safety, impacts officer readiness, and enhances our quality of life. As the largest source of private funding for the LAPD, the LAPF is passionately dedicated to ensuring that Los Angeles remains America's safest major city.

Since its founding in 1998, the LAPF has awarded more than $21 million in grants to the LAPD. For more information on the Los Angeles Police Foundation, visit www.lapolicefoundation.org.

SOURCE Los Angeles Police Foundation

Los Angeles Police Foundation

CONTACT: Cecilia Glassman, (213) 489-4636??????, ?Email: cecilia@lapolicefoundation.org

Web Site: http://www.lapolicefoundation.org


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