NT$40 mil. raised by TVBS

Twelve TVBS program hosts took turns to lead the fundraising drive from 8 p.m. through midnight, coupled with performances by popular singers broadcast live on the TVBS channel, while 75 Red Cross volunteer workers manned 30 telephone lines to accept donations from viewers.

Legislative Yuan Speaker Wang Jin-pyng, Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin, Taoyuan Magistrate Chu Li-lun and at least 16 singers, actors and actresses took part in the fund drive to express their support.

American-born Chinese singer Wang Lee-hom said he was glad to see so many people from different sectors of society united for the purpose of helping the earthquake victims in China.

Singer Pauline, who owns a restaurant chain, said she was so deeply moved by her employees’ initiative to donate a day’s income to help with relief work in China that she decided to give all business revenue for the restaurant chain within one day, totaling about NT$10 million, for the charity activity.

Sun Tsui-feng, a star of the Ming Hwa Yuan Taiwanese Opera Company, said that although she has never been to Sichuan Province and knows nobody there, she could not stop shedding tears when she saw on TV the massive suffering caused by the calamity.

Sun and her husband donated a statue of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, which they have treasured for years, to the fundraising drive. The item fetched NT$1.2 million from an anonymous buyer.

The final total of donations collected during the four-hour fundraising campaign amounted to NT$39,309,881.

Other donations from different sectors of Taiwan have kept pouring into a number of special accounts since the 7.9 magnitude tremor devastated dozens of cities and towns in Sichuan Province.

According to an unofficial tally, as of May 18, the cash donations from Taiwan’s government, enterprises, organizations and individuals had surpassed NT$4 billion.

In addition to Taiwan’s Red Cross Society, other Taiwanese charitable organizations, including the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation, the Dharma Drum Mountain Social Welfare and Charity Foundation and the Fo Guang Shan Monastery have also been engaged in the relief work.

The death toll from the May 12 earthquake had risen to over 30,000 as of May 18, with Chinese officials fearing the final death toll could surpass 50,000.

Subscribe to The China Post and save 25%. Click here

SharePrintEmail

Write a Comment

Terms

Enter your comments - 3000 characters max

Type in image code

Submit

 Receive China Post promos
 Respond to this email