Hong Kong-born Jennie Yeung gave up a phenomenally successful
corporate career to become a philanthropist. She's the force behind
a children's love concert this weekend, "Our Love to the World from
Loving Children."
Helping every kid grow healthy and happy is not only a fond wish
and an ideal for Jennie Yeung - it's her life and work.
The executive-turned-philanthropist gave up her lucrative
corporate job to set up a nonprofit project early this year - One
Beautiful Dream World - to promote children's activities with
themes of love, peace, creativity and education.
It took most of her money, but she didn't regret, because "I
want to do something that I really want and like to do." That is,
to help those in need.
And Hong Kong-born Yeung, who now lives in New York, is making
it happen this weekend, with migrant workers' children the special
beneficiaries.
Child artists from Sweden and China will take part in a charity
program and concert, "Our Love to the World from Loving Children,"
to share love and culture among children of different
backgrounds.
It is organized by One Beautiful Dream World, the Soong Ching
Ling Foundation and Shanghai Charity Foundation.
Tomorrow BBx8, a Swedish family singing group (ages four to 20),
will visit the Wan Bei Migrant School, singing, playing with
children and distributing gifts.
On Saturday, BBx8 joins with Shanghai's Little Companion Arts
Troupe to stage an open concert, "Our Love to the World from
Children," at Shanghai Children's Palace. They learned some Chinese
to be able to sing the Chinese folk song "Jasmine Flower" and
"Dance of Youth."
BBx8 is the Blad family from Sweden. It is an abbreviation for
"Blad Ballet Times Eight," but it has many other meanings in
Swedish. They are eight siblings, and BB is a Swedish abbreviation
for "maternity ward" since their mother has been there eight
times.
They deeply impressed Yeung who has brought them to
Shanghai.
Yeung, chairman of One Beautiful Dream World, used to be one of
the youngest and most outstanding international senior bankers of
Citigroup. She has also held key executive and board positions on
some of Asia's largest conglomerates.
Yet the professional success didn't make her happy, especially
when she saw discord, lack of understanding and poverty in some
Asian countries.
"Making millions is not what I desire. I want to pursuit my own
dreams," says Yeung, who is in her 40s.
Art and charity have always been Yeung's love. Painting, singing
and acting were her favorite subjects and she has been committed to
social work since she was 13 years old.
In 2001, she had completed her job of pioneering an
international entry business incubator model in Shanghai to
facilitate China's entry into the World Trade Organization. So she
decided to pursue her first dream - art.
She took an interior design course at New York University. And
her experience in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks
convinced her to pursue her other dream - charity.
"My apartment was only a few blocks away from the World Trade
Center," says Yeung, who had just moved there on September 10. "I
was alone and unfamiliar with the community. When I realized what
happened and grabbed a few things downstairs, the hall was empty.
Everybody was gone. You can imagine how desperate I was at the
moment.
"The importance of hope had never struck me as keenly as it did
on that day," she recalls. "I received it from a security guy who
helped me that day, and I want to give it to others in need."
Since then, Yeung has been active in New York, pursuing her
passion in education and her long-term philanthropic mission to
bridge the East and the West and create the best of both.
To dedicate her creative and business talents to fostering
innovation, creativity and education among the young and less
privileged became Yeung's new career.
As a consultant in the Community Partners Board of Harvard
Business School Club, Yeung has helped many nonprofit projects.
They include Project Sunshine, which brings light to those who are
dying, and the Creative Art Center, which helps breast cancer
patients rebuild their confidence and sense of beauty by learning
to paint.
Lately, Yeung has been giving management advice to an
86-year-old Frenchwoman in New York, who plans to start a nonprofit
Chinese-language primary school there.
Both the woman and her husband are fond of Chinese culture. They
have both collected and donated many Chinese artworks. Now they
want to start a special school to promote Chinese culture and
provide a multicultural environment for both Chinese and American
kids.
"I feel happy and satisfied to help people fulfill their good
will with my talent," says Yeung.
(Shanghai Daily November 1, 2007)