By Tim Saunders on
Houston Rockets center Yao Ming is raffling a trip to the Beijing Olympics to raise money for the Yao Ming Foundation, which he launched to help victims of the May 12 earthquake in China.
Tickets to the raffle, which can be accessed via www.netraffle.org, cost $2 each, and will give one lucky winner round-trip airfare from a US city to Beijing, a seven day stay at a hotel in Beijing from Aug. 7-14, two tickets to the China-USA basketball game at the Olympics, $1,500 cash, a guided tour of the Great Wall of China, two Houston Rockets jerseys autographed by Ming, two tickets to a Rockets game, and a chance to meet Ming after a Rockets game.
“I’m so proud that my country is hosting the 2008 Olympics,” said Ming. “I am thrilled that I can help fans visit China, experience the Games and, at the same time, help raise money for the Yao Ming Foundation as we begin our campaign to rebuild schools in the earthquake damaged provinces.”
Ming established the Foundation to raise funds and awareness of children’s wellness and welfare issues in China and the United States and address the immediate needs of the children in the Sichuan and Gansu provinces affected by the devastating quake. The basketballer raised over $3.5 million within a week of launching the Foundation, and said its first projects would involve rebuilding schools and providing sports equipment and other forms of help to children left homeless by the disaster.
The raffle winner will be announced on July 21.
Copyright © 2008 Look to the Stars
