South China Marriott Business Councils Charity Gala Dinner for the Yao Foundation Raises RMB 2,463,800 for Underprivileged Chinese Youths


David Ho   |   November 14, 2019

South China Marriott Business Councils hosted the annual charity gala in support of the Yao Foundation at Sheraton Shenzhen Nanshan on November 8, 2019 and raised a total of RMB 2,463,800 to further support educational projects for underprivileged children in rural China.

The Black Tie Gala Dinner 2019 was jointly organized by South China Marriott Business Councils and includes the participation from 84 hotels in Guangdong, Fujian, Hainan, Hong Kong and Taiwan, etc. with the attendance of more than 580 corporate guests and individual sponsors.  Mr. Yao Ming, Founder of Yao Foundation, Ms. Minnie Xu, Marriott International Area Vice President, South China, Mr. Hans Loontiens, Marriott International Market Vice President-Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and Hainan areas, Ms. Helen Leung, Chairlady of Marriott South China Business Council and representatives from Marriott International South China were all in attendance.  

During the gala dinner, Ms. Helen Leung, Chairlady of Marriott South China Business Council said: “The greater the ability, the greater the responsibility”. Marriott is committed to making a positive and sustainable impact wherever we do business and the Business Councils are uniquely positioned to deliver the commitments. We serve the communities where we live and work, and we are delighted to embrace the same vision with the Yao Foundation, working together to support educational development in rural areas of China. Together, we aim to create hope for the students by affording them the opportunities to pursue education, sports, health and improving self-esteem. 

Marriott International’s “spirit to serve” makes our culture more vibrant, our business stronger and the world a better place. The night was fulfilled with tremendous engagement activities, live entertainment, charity auction, alluring and exquisite food & beverage offerings and many more to be discovered on site.  

Sponsors including: Artists, Dong An’an, Luo Jiangang, Qiu Junyi and Zeng Xiangang etc, TOYOTA, Auratic, Bola Family Customized Leather Shoes Brand, Shenzhen Bow Chuang Vehicle Trading Co.,Ltd, BLG, British Airways, Cooperation And Competition Arts Center, Duojiedan National Vocational And Technical School, Guangzhou Yongcheng Liquor Co., Ltd, HSBC, Kerean Air, Turkish Airlines, UTC& LANVI ART, Vertu & Master MA, WeGallery, You Yuan Health Technology, Shenzhen Zengte Automobile Trading Co.,Ltd.

About Marriott International, Inc.
Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is based in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, and encompasses a portfolio of more than 7,000 properties in 30 leading hotel brands spanning 130 countries and territories. Marriott operates and franchises hotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts all around the world. The company also operates award-winning loyalty programs: Marriott Rewards®, which includes The Ritz-Carlton Rewards®, and Starwood Preferred Guest®. For more information, please visit our website at www.marriott.com, and for the latest company news, visit www.marriottnewscenter.com. In addition, connect with us on Facebook and @MarriottIntl on Twitter and Instagram.

About Yao Foundation

The Yao Foundation is a non-profit organization founded by Yao Ming in 2008. By supporting youth development projects and building a philanthropy platform, it dedicated to aid underprivileged rural children in China and help them develop in various ways, through a focus on education, sports, nutrition and psychology. For the first four years after its establishment, The Yao Foundation focused on rebuilding schools in provinces suffered from the devastating Wenchuan Earthquake. By far, in cooperation with various partners, the Yao Foundation has donated 23 Hope Primary Schools in 11 provinces/autonomous regions of China, improving school conditions for more than 10,000 children. In 2012, the Yao Foundation launched the Hope Primary School Basketball Season project, aiming to improve rural school physical education through donations of equipment, volunteer support, and multi-level matches, among other charitable interventions. As of 2018, the project covers 29 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions all over China. More than 700 rural schools have participated in the project, while more than 1150,000 pupils have benefited from eight seasons of Hope Primary School Basketball Season. The project provided them the opportunity to participate in sports and feel the joy of healthy athletic competition. In 2007, Yao Ming and NBA player Steve Nash discussed how to use basketball to help children in remote parts of China. They hit it off and decided to launch a charity basketball program in China to raise funds to improve children’s education and living conditions. In the twelve years since then, nine sessions have been held in Beijing, Shanghai, Dongguan, Fuzhou, Hong Kong, Dalian and Nanning. Yao Foundation Charity Games have welcomed more than 160 passionate NBA All-Star players and the Chinese National Basketball Team, as well as support from more than 300 elites in sports, entertainment, finance, and various other fields. It has become the most influential basketball charity game in China.