Look To The Stars News: Jackie Chan Charitable Foundation

Jackie Chan Thanked By UNICEF

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 15:30:00 -0000

Back in July, Look To The Stars reported on Jackie Chan’s visit to East Timor to spread a message of non-violence to the country’s youth. As a direct result of the trip, two of Timor-Leste’s largest youth gangs have signed a peace agreement and vowed not to fight anymore.

The action star received a letter from UNICEF – who organized his visit – earlier this month thanking him for his participation and updating him on recent developments in the country.

“I honestly felt very happy when I received this piece of news,“ said Chan “The influence I have on other people actually had some effect! Why can’t we all live together in peace? At the moment there are a lot of people who are working hard for the human race so that we can have better health and better living conditions. Researchers are looking for ways to cure cancer, people who are fighting against global warming and working to protect our environment; they only hope for humans to have a better tomorrow, so why are people still fighting and killing for advantages or benefits?“

Chan’s visit to East Timor aimed to curb a culture of “martial arts gangs” – groups of youths that have been involved in street fighting that led to an outbreak of violence that killed 37 people and caused thousands to flee their homes less than two years ago. During his trip, he met Timor Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao and led a choreographed martial arts display in front of over 5000 young people at Dili’s national stadium.

“Killing each other cannot alter the increasingly serious gap between the rich and the poor, and it cannot save the escalating pollution or parts of the Earth that are already destroyed,” said the actor. “People must understand that if Earth did not have humans, Earth would continue to exist. But if humans did not have Earth, we would not survive. Please put aside your personal grudges and resentments, cast your views on the whole of the world, the entire planet. You will discover that we are all human beings and what we need is to help each other and unite with one another to fight against the unrestrained growth of disease and the increasingly deteriorating environmental pollution.”

Chan is an enthusiastic supporter of charities including UNICEF, Operation Smile and his own Jackie Chan Charitable Foundation which he founded in 1988 to help young people in a variety of worthy causes, including medical services, aid to victims of natural disaster or illness, scholarships and youth activities.

Atul Khare, the UN secretary general’s special representative for Timor-Leste, recently told a forum in New York that criminal incidents in Timor this year dropped to 35 incidents per week from 55 per week last year – a direct result of Jackie Chan’s work to make the world a better place.

“If everyone could work in unity with one heart, love and be close to one another, then where would you find hatred, strife, or war?”

Jackie Chan Receives UNICEF Award

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Action star Jackie Chan has received a special UNICEF award for his work with children.

Chan was a guest at a UNICEF reception held in China on August 9, where awards were presented to UNICEF supporting partners and goodwill ambassadors who have aided the organization’s efforts to help children all over the world. The event – called Champions for Children – served two purposes: to advocate for vulnerable children and to thank all of UNICEF’s partners, including the Chinese government, for their tireless work.

Attendees at the function listened to talks from Chan and world reknowned pianist Lang Lang, as well as the words of young survivors from the Sichuan earthquake.

“The May 12th earthquake hurt our people, but many uncles, aunts, brothers and sisters are helping us,” said one 12-year-old survivor. “Our new school has already been built; we have received donations and supplies from all over the world. I plan to study hard and invent a machine to control earthquakes, so that no more people will have to suffer as a result of earthquakes.”

Chan – who has been a UNICEF Ambassador since 2004 – said he was glad to have the opportunity to help and added that he is eager to help children not only in China but all over the world. “Call me anytime, I will be there,” he said.

Chan is well known for his interest in supporting children’s charities, and last year talked to Look To The Stars about his work.

“Since I am Ambassador for UNICEF and UNAIDS, I am able to help raise interest in the problems that children face,” he told us. “Plus I am involved with my own charities here in Asia – the Dragon’s Heart Charity and the Jackie Chan Charitable Foundation. There are so many problems for children! Sometimes I feel that I just can’t do enough for them – as soon as I solve the problem of one group, I notice that another group is suffering. I try, but it’s never enough.”

Look To The Stars Asks Jackie Chan

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 10:50:33 -0000

Written by Myrlia Purcell

One of the greatest things about our work at Look To The Stars is the chance to ‘discover’ the wonderful things that celebrities do everyday. In doing so, we often find that our idols are true heroes. This is especially true of action hero Jackie Chan, a legend of Hong Kong cinema and star of the three “Rush Hour” movies. Chan volunteers his time to help many charities, the closest to his heart being the Jackie Chan Charitable Foundation, an organization that has helped thousands of people since he started it in 1988.

Jackie Chan is a great example of someone who always uses his star power to help others. This can best be seen in his Build a School for a Dollar program, and in his plea to advertisers to join him in charity work .

Although Jackie is always busy running from one event to the next, he is never short of time for charity work. He was kind enough to answer a few of our questions on that topic:

LTTS: What do you feel is the biggest problem with the world today?

Jackie Chan: The suffering of children. There is just no problem that is bigger than that. When you see children hungry or sick, your heart just breaks. I have never seen anything worse in my whole life.

LTTS: What steps would you take to correct this problem?

Jackie Chan: I’m very lucky to be able to help children who are suffering the the world. Since I am Ambassador for UNICEF and UNAIDS, I am able to help raise interest in the problems that children face. Plus I am involved with my own charities here in Asia – the Dragon’s Heart Charity and the Jackie Chan Charitable Foundation. There are so many problems for children! Sometimes I feel that I just can’t do enough for them – as soon as I solve the problem of one group, I notice that another group is suffering. I try, but it’s never enough.

LTTS: Do you have any message for our readers?

Jackie Chan: I guess I would like to remind everyone that we live now in a global village and we are in one single family. It’s our responsibility to bring friendship and love from all different places around the world and live together in peace.

LTTS: Jackie Chan, thank you very much for taking the time to answer our questions. You are a great inspiration.

Jet Li and Jackie Chan Join Forces to Aid Earthquake Victims

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

Written by Saskia Akyil

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.

It is hoped that Li and Chan’s combined effort will bring more attention to the One Foundation, which Li founded in 2007 in cooperation with the Red Cross Society of China to provide relief to victims of natural disasters and to help youth cope with mental illness.

According to the charity’s website, over 200 million Chinese are affected by natural disasters every year, and mental health issues are becoming a leading cause of death among Chinese youth.

Li believes that donations by many people in small amounts can make a big difference, and a publicity campaign for the charity encourages each person to give one Yuan (approximately 13 US cents) per month to the charity to help with the most vulnerable members of society.

Jackie Chan Auctions Watch for Charity

Thu, 05 Oct 2006 18:51:33 -0000

Written by Myrlia Purcell

Jackie Chan has taken on the role of ambassador for the children’s charity Camp Quality, and in September helped raise nearly $23,000 for them at the Hong Kong premiere of Rob-B-Hood.

Nearly the entire cast of the film attended the event, and Jackie brought attention and funds to the charity by auctioning off a limited edition IWC Dragon watch.

Camp Quality is an international organization which offers support for children suffering from cancer by making it possible for them to get out of hospitals and enjoy themselves in an outdoor environment.

In the same month, Chan started the Jackie Chan Civil Aviation Foundation, a charity which provides program funding for flight personnel and their trainers.

Jackie Chan Reveals Charity Will

Wed, 28 Jun 2006 21:56:08 -0000

Written by Myrlia Purcell

While at a press conference to raise awareness of the endangered South China tiger, Jackie Chan announced that he has bequeathed half of his fortune to charity.

“I admire the efforts by Buffett and Gates to help those in need a lot,” Chan said. “Like Buffett and Gates, I want to help people, but I don’t have as much money as they do.”

The action hero founded the Jackie Chan Charitable Foundation in 1988, and it is this charity that will benefit from the will. Originally started to help needy children, the organization has since branched out to help victims of natural disasters, provide special medical care, and support the performing arts.

Earlier this year Chan was named by Forbes as one of the world’s 10 most generous celebrities. Recognising the 52-year-old’s passion for charitable causes, celebrities such as Tom Cruise have contributed funds to the Foundation.

Though constantly busy with film work, Chan also commits a large amount of his time to a number of other charities.

Save China’s Tigers founder Li Quan said, “The tigers are very lucky to have the support of Jackie, who cares deeply about the Chinese tiger, which is on the brink of extinction. With less than 100 Chinese tigers remaining urgent action is required. Jackie hopes the poster campaign can raise much needed funds to help the tigers.”

Forbes' "Most Generous Celebrities" List

Fri, 19 May 2006 14:04:20 -0000

Written by Steve Purcell

Forbes Magazine has published a list of “Generous Celebrities”, highlighting the incredible generosity of some of the world’s most public faces.

The ten celebrities listed are:

Bono supports AIDS charity DATA and many others
Sandra Bullock gave $1m to the American Red Cross after the 9/11 bombings, and has also donated to the Tsunami relief fund
Nicolas Cage supports Chrysalis, an LA charity for the homeless, and gave $1m to Katrina relief
Jackie Chan is a UNICEF ambassador, founded the Jackie Chan Charitable Foundation, and gave $100,000 to Chrysalis
Céline Dion is Celebrity Patron for the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and donated $1m to the American Red Cross after Hurricane Katrina
Angelina Jolie has given more than $3m to the UNHCR
Paul McCartney supports the Adopt-A-Minefield charity, and he and wife Heather Mills jointly donateed $1.9m to Tsunami relief
Arnold Schwarzenegger supports the Special Olympics, and in 2001 he donated a total of $4.1m to the Twin Towers fund, After School All Stars and Nelson Mandela’s children’s fund
Steven Spielberg is a patron of the Righteous Persons Foundation, founder of the Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation, and gave $1.5m to the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts
Oprah gave $52m to charity in 2005 alone, and wrote a personal cheque for $10m to help victims of the Katrina disaster

Tom Cruise Donates to Jackie Chan's Foundation

Sat, 11 Feb 2006 14:51:42 -0000

Written by Myrlia Purcell

In January, Tom Cruise donated $20,000 to the Jackie Chan Charitable Foundation. The money will be used for 10 scholarships to the Hong Kong Academy for Performing arts.

Look To The Stars News: Jackie Chan Charitable Foundation

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