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🇹🇼 Taiwan /Culture & Society

Charity Baseball Game Faces Funding Crisis; Celebrity Urges Public Support

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • The Huashan Foundation's Yunlin County branch is holding a "Love Seniors Celebrity Charity Baseball Game" on September 12.
  • The event faces a sponsorship drought for the second consecutive year, with ticket sales significantly lower than expected.
  • Celebrity Xu Hsiao-shun is endorsing the event, urging the public to become "a sun for others" and support elderly care services.

The Huashan Foundation's Yunlin County branch is facing a challenging year for its annual "Love Seniors Celebrity Charity Baseball Game," scheduled for September 12. For the second year in a row, the event has failed to secure a title sponsor, and ticket sales have fallen drastically short of expectations, with only a little over a thousand tickets sold less than a month before the game.

This financial strain is compounded by a nearly 50% decrease in regular monthly donations over the past two to three years. According to Yang Shu-ting, the county branch director, many corporate donors have cited the current economic climate as the reason for reducing or suspending their contributions. Last year, despite the absence of a title sponsor, the event managed to sell over 6,000 tickets with the help of various charitable organizations and individuals.

We call on everyone to become 'a sun for others,' to exert their life energy, and to pass on love and warmth to more people who need help.

— Xu Hsiao-shunEncouraging public support for the charity event.

To boost support, the foundation held a press conference featuring celebrity endorser Xu Hsiao-shun. Xu, along with other artists, has consistently participated in the event, likening their return to the field to "salmon returning upstream." He urged the public to embody the spirit of being "a sun for others" by spreading love and warmth to those in need.

Yunlin County Magistrate Chang Li-shan highlighted the eight-year partnership between the county government and the Huashan Foundation for this event. She emphasized that each NT$200 ticket not only supports elderly care but can also be used to bring underprivileged children to the game, embodying a "double love" initiative. Selling seven tickets can fund one month of services for an elderly person, underscoring the impact of public participation.

A ticket of NT$200 not only supports elderly services but can also be given to children in remote areas to watch the game, realizing 'one ticket, double love.'

— Chang Li-shanExplaining the dual benefit of purchasing a ticket.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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