Look To The Stars News: Jet Li

NBA Great Helps Jet Li's Charity In China

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 14:00:00 +0000

For the first time in his career, NBA Champion, NBA Finals MVP, Olympic Gold Medalist and seven-time NBA All-Star Dwyane Wade comes to China to the Forbidden City in Beijing to meet “The One Million RMB” Basketball Charity Challenge.

The challenge for Dwyane Wade is to score a maximum of baskets, each corresponding to a sum of money (50K, 100K etc.) and on an increasing scale of difficulty and winnings. The funds collected will be donated to Jet Li’s leading non-profit organization, the One Foundation, on behalf of Hublot and the Wade’s World Foundation.

Dwyane Wade launched the Wade’s World Foundation in 2005 to provide support to various educational, health and family service programs, in particular those that benefit underserved communities.

Jet Li Spends Time with Volunteers in Vietnam

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Action star and Red Cross goodwill ambassador Jet Li finished up a three-day charity mission to Vietnam yesterday, continuing his work supporting the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

It was his first visit to Vietnam, and he wanted to communicate a strong message to the country’s youth – ‘come together and volunteer your time and energy to help your brothers and sisters’.

Jet Li And Natalie Portman Show Faith In Charity Short Film Competition

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 15:30:00 +0000

A stellar line-up of celebrities and world leaders are to judge a short film competition for a special foundation that aims to promote respect and understanding about the world’s major religions and show how faith is a powerful force for good in the world.

The Tony Blair Faith Foundation has announced a judging panel that consists of Tony Blair, Jet Li, Natalie Portman, Nik Powell, Queen Rania of Jordan, Jonathan Caplan, Amr Khaled, Wendi Murdoch, June Sarpong and Deepak Verma for the the competition.

The competition asks entrants “How does your faith inspire you?”, and the winning entries will be premiered at the BAFTAs. There are separate categories depending on whether you are a filmmaker with access to film making equipment or you just have a great story and want to send a pitch in for the chance to win a portable video camera to make your film.

Jet Li And Olga Kurylenko Talk Charity

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000

December’s edition of Alliance Magazine includes interviews with two of the rising stars of the world of emerging philanthropy – actors Jet Li, star of Romeo Must Die and Hero, and Olga Kurylenko, best known for her role as Camille in James Bond film Quantum of Solace.

In an interview with Alliance, Jet Li outlines the unique philanthropic model of his One Foundation, and gives his thoughts on how grassroots efforts can complement government aid; also discussing how his near-death experience during the 2004 tsunami inspired his mission. “The experience of surviving the chaos and witnessing the devastation caused by this natural disaster has changed me forever”, Li tells Alliance.

Jet Li Blogs On Charity

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Action star Jet Li has blogged on Forbes.com about his aim of creating a culture of charity in China.

“As I see communities improve through charitable work, I envision even more positive change in China in the next 10 years,” wrote Li. "China’s growing wealth and people’s increased access to education and knowledge will create an ever-growing capacity for giving. By fostering better standards of efficiency and ease of exchange among nonprofit organizations around the world, globalization should nurture the accountable and meaningful use of funds here in China.

“This is the vision I have for the One Foundation, which I founded in 2007. Since then, we have contributed to the relief of 12 national and international disasters, including last year’s Sichuan earthquake – the next day close to 1 million individuals donated to the One Foundation through mobile telephones and the Internet.”

Jet Li Launches Thousand Villages Project

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:30:00 +0000

Action star Jet Li has blogged about an exciting new initiative he is involved in with former British prime minister Tony Blair.

“Yesterday, I visited Guiyang, China with Former Prime Minister Tony Blair to announce our “Thousand Villages Project” that focuses on changing the way electricity is consumed in China and the world by taking people off the electrical grid and switching them to solar power," wrote Li. "In addition to using renewal power, switching lighting not only in the household but also in buildings and streetlamps to LED takes less power to use longer. That’s like doing three simple things at once to make sure the next generation can see blue skies more often.

“Tony told me that in Britain, driving electrical cars and using renewal power has already become the norm.

Jackie Chan And Jet Li Give To Typhoon Victims

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:30:00 +0000

Action stars Jackie Chan and Jet Li have stepped up to help victims of the typhoon that devastated Taiwan last week.

Jet LI – who founded the One Foundation to help victims of natural disasters – lined up with aid workers from the Red Cross to hand out urgently needed supplies to people who have lost their homes in the floods and mudslides.

Jet Li Aims To Change The Face Of Charity

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Jet Li’s One Foundation was created after the action star began to ponder the meaning of life.

Two years ago, the China-based foundation was created to deal with issues related to disaster relief, health, and education. Over one million volunteers have pledged their commitment to the One Foundation and the organization is hard at work to garner more.

Penelope Cruz And Donatella Versace To Host Charity Gala

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:30:00 +0000

Italian luxury fashion house Versace, is pleased to announce that for the second straight year, it will sponsor the Whitney’s Gala and Studio Party. Taking place Monday evening October 19th, the event will be co-chaired by Penelope Cruz, Liz Swig and Donatella Versace.

In addition to sponsoring the Gala, Donatella Versace collaborated with the Whitney’s Education Department and designed a project called Art Unites to provide children in need in the United States and China with the incomparable spirit, creativity, inspiration and solace that visual arts bestow.

The program, which officially launched on July 1st, will benefit Starlight Children’s Foundation, an organization dedicated to brightening the lives of seriously ill children and their families in the US, and the One Foundation in China, an organization committed to the long-term recovery of the areas devastated by last year’s earthquakes in the Sichuan province, funding and operating two Versace One Foundation children’s centers with schooling, psychological therapy, and post trauma counseling for over 1200, through creative visual arts an essential form of relief.

Jet Li To Launch Quake Anniversary Welfare Program

Wed, 20 May 2009 14:00:00 +0000

One year after the deadly May 12 earthquake in Sichuan, China, actor and kungfu master Jet Li’s One Foundation is launching One Family, Walk Together, a welfare campaign to bring attention to the devastated region and its survivors.

In a February speech for the China Global Philanthropy Forum, former US president Bill Clinton gave his support to Li’s foundation: “As a global community we face many challenges, including global warming, poverty and disease. Individually, these problems are insurmountable, but together we can overcome them. The One Foundation believes as I do in the strength of our common humanity, and the spirit of giving is the same no matter how much money you give or how many hours you volunteer.”

But therein lies the problem in China. “The charity sector’s development in China is quite recent compared to the US, where it has been registered for 100 years, or 400 years in the case of Europe,” Li said in an interview with Shanghai Star Weekend. “Most people in China today think that charitable acts are limited to donating money, but that’s actually not the case.”

Jet Li Appointed Goodwill Ambassador

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 14:00:00 +0000

Action star Jet Li was appointed as a Global Goodwill Ambassador for the World Health Organization (WHO) – the United Nations’ public health arm – on Friday, and is expected to launch World Health Day in Beijing on Tuesday.

“I would like to thank WHO for this great honor and opportunity,” he said. “Health is essential to the well-being of humanity, and I am very happy that WHO trusts me to take on this important responsibility. If we do not take care of our bodies, we will not be able to do many things. This is our common belief, and I will do my very best to spread this shared belief to the world.”

The action star will use his position as ambassador to raise awareness of issues such as public health responses to emergencies, as well as mental health. Both causes are close to the star’s heart, and he founded the One Foundation after narrowly escaping the December 26, 2004 tsunami with his family. He has also been a Red Cross ambassador since 2006.

Jet Li Reveals Philanthropic Vision

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 13:00:00 +0000

Action star Jet Li has revealed his ideas about philanthropy to INSEAD Knowledge, a business research website.

“In 1997 I started thinking about the meaning of life,” he told INSEAD during the recent Global Social Innovators Forum in Singapore, where he received the SIP Distinguished Fellow Award. “Why do we live? What do people hope to gain from living? Regardless of whether you’re Chinese, European or Asian … I think every living thing desires happiness. People feel anxious and insecure because they lack happiness.”

The star founded the One Foundation to help victims of natural disasters after almost drowning on the Maldives during the 2004 Asian tsunami.

Jet Li Speaks At Clinton Global Initiative

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 12:30:00 +0000

Former President Bill Clinton kicked off his first Clinton Global Initiative conference abroad in Hong Kong on Tuesday to focus on education, energy and climate change and public health issues in Asia.

Speaking at the event, action star Jet Li said that China is ready for an “explosion” of volunteer work as the country becomes more prosperous after two decades of capitalist-style economic reforms.

“Before the reforms, China’s 1.3 billion people couldn’t even fill their stomachs,” said Li. “The only way people could help others is a word of encouragement.”

Jet Li Visits Earthquake Victims With Donatella Versace

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 14:00:00 +0000

Action star Jet Li visited a school devastated by the Sichuan earthquake in China earlier this month, and he took with him a very special guest – Donatella Versace.

According to an article in Time magazine, the pair visited the village of Sanjiang, Wenchuan county, to see a school and counseling center designed to provide post-trauma and psychological relief in China’s Sichuan province funded by Versace through the One Foundation.

“When you see things on television, you don’t know if it’s true,” said Versace. “I wanted to see it with my eyes and touch it myself.”

Versace To Join With Jet Li For Children

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 15:30:00 +0000

Jet Li’s One Foundation will get a major boost next month when Donatella Versace jets into Beijing to hold a special charity fashion show.

The show – to take place on November 13 – will be the first time a Versace fashion show has ever been held in China, and will present the brand’s women’s and menswear spring/summer 2009 collections. It will raise money for a series of new children’s centers designed to provide post-trauma and psychological relief in China’s Sichuan province, which was hit by a devastating earthquake in May. The first center will be opening in San Jiang next month.

Versace is also proud to announce that it has also created a very special Versace/One Foundation logo that will feature on limited edition designs in China, with 100 per cent of the proceeds going to the One Foundation.

Jet Li Urges China To Give

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 13:30:00 +0000

Action star Jet Li has urged his fellow Chinese to be more charitable.

The 45-year-old star of The Mummy 3: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor spoke to a group of entrepreneurs at a conference held by Chinese Internet giant Alibaba on Saturday, and explained his views on charity in China.

“Politely speaking, our charitable institutions in China are 20 years behind our economic development and reform,” Li said. “Speaking more directly, they are probably 30 years behind.”

Jet Li Attends Earthquake Relief Banquet

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:30:00 +0000

Action star Jet Li attended a charity banquet in China last week to raise money for the victims of the devastating Sichuan earthquake that struck in May.

Held in the glitzy Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Beijing, the evening was sponsored by Swiss watchmaker DeWitt and Jet Li’s One Foundation, an organization the star established after the 2004 Asian tsunami to help victims of natural disasters. Legendary film director John Woo and the cast of his upcoming blockbuster film Red Cliff – including Tony Leung and Takeshi Kaneshiro – also attended the banquet.

Li has spent the last few months campaigning for the victims of the Sichuan earthquake, and is declining all movie roles in 2008 to focus on his charity work.

Jet Li Takes Action For Earthquake Survivors

Wed, 28 May 2008 11:32:00 +0000

Following the devastating earthquake in China earlier this month, the 5.12 Sichuan Earthquake Disaster Relief Command has been formally set up by action star Jet Li in Chengdu.

Li has established the relief effort with his One Foundation, a charity he set up to help those affected by natural disasters. The initiative aims to conduct long-term reconstruction work, and the Foundation has sent in three teams to organize and train volunteers in association with the Red Cross Society of China.

“We have deployed proper arrangements and the third batch of supplies will arrive tomorrow,” said Li. “A One Foundation Family will be built up in Jiangyou county and other places to help students in more than 130 schools resume classes.”

Jackie Chan Urges For A Peaceful Olympics

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 08:19:50 +0000

Jackie Chan has come out fighting for the Olympics – despite the current protests occuring around the world as the Olympic Torch makes its way to Beijing.

The 54-year-old star of over 100 action films believes the Games should be used as a platform for peace – not politics – and should represent “unity and love” to heal the problems of the world. The UNICEF and UNAIDS Ambassador is a strong believer in philanthropy and goodwill, and although he can understand the protestors’ desire to be heard, he is disappointed with the way they are doing it.

“They wish to find an outlet to voice their opinions, but I don’t think they should use the Olympics to do so,” said Chan after arriving in Beijing with Jet Li for the world premiere of The Forgotten Kingdom yesterday. “I hope people do not mix sports with politics. This is wrong. I don’t understand why people would want to destroy the Olympics.”

Jet Li's New Movie To Provide Kick For Charity

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 11:25:16 +0000

Action stars Jackie Chan and Jet Li’s new film The Forbidden Kingdom is set for release on April 18, and the film company behind it has just announced an exciting new initiative with Li’s One Foundation.

China’s Huayi Brothers Film Corporation officially announced their cooperation with the One Foundation at a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday. Wang Zhongjun, Huayi Brothers CEO, has committed a portion of their box office profits for the next decade to the foundation.

“Since the fund’s launch last year, many film companies, directors and actors have offered help to the One Foundation,” said Li, who set up the foundation last April to provide assistance to victims of natural disasters and youth affected by mental illness. “Today, we have set up cooperation with Huayi Brothers. That means more and more celebrity friends will join in to promote the charity campaign.”

Jet Li and Jackie Chan Join Forces to Aid Earthquake Victims

Mon, 18 Jun 2007 08:31:16 +0000

Action star Jet Li has allocated 100,000 Yuan (over $13,000) through his charity, the One Foundation, to boost relief efforts following the earthquake that struck the Yunnan province of China on June 3rd. Jackie Chan matched the allocation a day later.

The 6.4-magnitude earthquake damaged nearly 250,000 houses, affecting half a million residents, and also resulted in injuries and deaths.

Jet Li has now invited Jackie Chan to become the honorary director-general of his One Foundation for two years, and Chan has accepted. Charity is not new to Jackie Chan; in 1988, he created the Jackie Chan Charitable Foundation to provide scholarships to young people in Hong Kong. The scope of his Foundation has since widened, to include providing medical services and aid to victims of disasters.