Often I have spoken about various celebrity donations. Whether its opening a children’s hospital wing, building houses in New Orleans, donating funds to relief efforts in Darfur, or numerous other causes (though each of the previous can always use more help). But in general I have tended to focus on American celebrities.
Which is a bit unfair. There are many celebrities from around the world that make a point of giving back to those who are in need. Often we forget that America is not the only country with mega-stars and big hearts.
One of the celebrities from outside the U.S. that I think needs to be commended is Andy Lau. Not an overly familiar name here in the U.S., but he is a huge star in Asia.
Andy Lau may be familiar to audiences for House of Flying Daggers (Captain Leo), but he has been in over 100 films and 300 mini-series. That is besides his singing career that spans more than 20 years, 180 concerts, 292 awards and a listing in the Guinness Book of Records (Most Awards Won By A Canto-Pop Male Artist), suffice to say the man is A-list celebrity.
But Lau is also a humanitarian. He is noted for his work with the disabled for more than a decade. In 2008 he was the Goodwill Ambassador to the Summer Paralympic Games.
So it is no surprise that Andy Lau is in the front line of celebrities working phones and helping to raise donations to help victims of Typhoon Morakot. Already private donations have reached 7 million Taiwan dollars. I am sure that the influence that Lau brings will help add to that total – which is being matched by the Taiwan government.
I always enjoy hearing of celebrities donating their time, money, and fame to just causes. When they do this it deserves to be mentioned. And there is no reason to limit such recognition to just the celebrities in the U.S.
No comments:
Post a Comment