Jackie Helps Raise US $5.2 Million for Singapore Thong Chai Medical Institution
Here is Singapore media report on the event in its entirety:
A staggering [US $5.2 million]: That's how much the Singapore Thong Chai Medical Institution (STCMI) managed to raise in three hours. Not too shabby an amount for its first-ever televised charity show.
And it's largely thanks to action superstar Jackie Chan who led a power-packed contingent of foreign celebrities to help pump funds for the free hospital. Jackie is its ambassador.
And true to his duties to helm a charitable organization for the first time, the Hong Kong actor went all out for the cause, distributing flowers, taking photos with kids, and helping wheel a patient.
The TV fundraiser, held at MediaCorp's TV theatre last night, featured a string of stirring performances by local and foreign personalities. The buildup to the evening was, however, firmly anchored by the stellar cast of overseas stars.
And they did not disappoint.
Jackie, who revealed in an anecdote he first heard about the free clinic's merits from a patient, specially invited close friend Wakin Chau, a familiar face in the local fundraising scene from his NKF days, to attend with him.
Other big names included Taiwanese singer-songwriters Sky Wu and Ricky Hsiao, and popular Hong Kong actress Michelle Yim. Mainland China was represented by the amputee dancers Ma Li and Zhai Xiaowei.
Sky's stirring medley, Ricky's duet with blind Singapore singer Kelvin Tan, the touching dance items from Ma and Zhai, and Michelle's mere one-number performance recorded the highest jumps in donations.
The spotlight of course was on Jackie himself. The star made a grand entrance after the hosting trio of Mark Lee, Quan Yifong and Taiwanese presenter Zeng Guocheng, by somersaulting onto the stage. After Mark and Zeng announced they would chip in $1,000 and $1,500 respectively, the highest-earning Asian actor then, without a blink of an eye, donated $100,000.
His groundbreaking collaboration with Wakin was a major high-point of the night and the most lucrative with a six-song 17-minute segment crooning evergreen hits like 'Friends', 'Understand My Heart' and 'Nothing Will Stop Me From Loving You', that took in an estimated 143,000 calls.
Soon Jackie, the star of recent movies Little Big Soldier and The Spy Next Door performed an emotional 'Believe In Yourself' for 31-year-old patient Lin Meishan, and started sobbing.
Away from the teary end, Jackie was a picture of his usual warmth yesterday, as he constantly roamed the backstage and mingled with the performing kids.
Last evening also saw more than 25 MediaCorp artistes joining hands to piece together three heart shapes of balloons. They had to blow them themselves - with some help from guest-of-honour Lui Tuck Yew, Acting Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts - and perform inclined sit-ups. Mark, on the other hand, did his Power Risers routine with four guests from his variety show It's A Small World.
At the end of the evening, an event aiming to raise $3.5 million to expand and upgrade the facilities of the 142-year-old STCMI had taken in a massive $8,676,230. The amount also beat the $7,067,034 garnered at the renowned Ren Ci Charity Show in January.