Making a Difference: Marriott Raises Over RMB 2 Million for Yao Foundation

Marriott hotels in Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Kunshan, Wuxi, Ningbo, Wuhan and Changzhou joined forces to host the 2014 Marriott Charity Black Tie Gala Dinner on 19 September 2014 and raised a net total of US$328,000 (RMB 2,018,000) for the Yao Foundation, Marriott International’s non-profit charity partner in China.

The event took place at Shanghai Marriott Hotel Parkview.

Over 630 guests were present at the gala event, including Yao Ming, former professional basketball star and founder of Yao Foundation.

Simon Cooper, president and managing director of Marriott International Asia Pacific, said, “Marriott International has a heritage of putting people first and opening doors to a world of opportunity for its guests, partners and associates. The key to making this happen is education, especially for the younger generations. We are delighted to have the opportunity to work with the Yao Foundation and to make a contribution to support children’s education in China.”

Yao Foundation

Yao Foundation was established in 2008 by Yao Ming under the auspices of The China Youth Development Foundation and aims to promote the all-round development of Chinese youth by providing them the opportunities to improve their education, sports skills, health and self-esteem.

Under the terms of a three-year agreement with Yao Foundation, Marriott cluster hotels will donate US$800,000 (RMB 5,000,000) to Yao Foundation to establish three Project Hope schools in the Southwestern region of China.

The Marriott donation will also be used to support the Yao Foundation Hope Primary School basketball season program in 2014 and 2015.

The cocktail reception and silent auction began at 18:00, followed by a gourmet Spanish five-course dinner at 19:00 with raffle draw and live auction. The evening finished at 22:00 with dancing and entertainment. Tickets were priced at US$308 (RMB1,888) per person and US$4,078 (RMB25,000) per corporate table of 10 with corporate benefits.

All proceeds from the event are to be donated to Yao Foundation.