By Saskia Akyil on
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.
Copyright © 2007 Look to the Stars
