PHILANTHROPIST YAO MING PARTNERS WITH THE MUSEUM OF FINE ART, HOUSTON ON THE 2010 YAO MING FOUNDATION GALA
Funds Raised Will Support the New MFAH Arts of China Gallery
And Ongoing Foundation Initiatives

November 17, 2009 (Houston, TX) – Philanthropist and Houston Rockets All Star Yao Ming today announced a major collaboration between his Yao Ming Foundation and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH).  The Yao Ming Foundation Gala presented by iTALKBB, the New Global Telecom Service Provider, will take place on Sunday, March 28, 2010 against the grand backdrop of the MFAH’s Cullinan Hall.  Proceeds from the event will provide funds for establishment of a permanent MFAH gallery dedicated to the Arts of China along with support for his foundation’s continued efforts toward important programs in China and the United States.

Since he arrived in Houston as the NBA's number one draft pick in 2002, Yao Ming has become an icon in two distinct cultures and on two continents.  As such, he is an important bridge between China and the United States both on and off the basketball court. The Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Arts of China Gallery will open to the public in the summer of 2010 as part of the museum’s expanding wing dedicated to Asian art.  Galleries for the arts of Korea, Indonesia, and India have already opened to critical acclaim. The new gallery, together with education programs designed specifically for it, will introduce Chinese art to new and wider audiences, promoting cultural understanding among the millions of school aged children, youth, and adults who visit the museum each year.

Yao Ming has devoted careful attention to his foundation since its inception in 2008, when he pledged two million dollars to rebuild schools devastated by the 8.0 earthquake in Sichuan Province, China. The efforts of his foundation have recently been extended to the local Houston community with the MFAH partnership and a grant to the Houston-based charity Collaborative for Children to rebuild four playgrounds in the Houston/Galveston area destroyed by Hurricane Ike. In the future, he plans to lend support to youth-oriented programs and scholarships in China and the United States. 

The Gala event will be presented by iTALK BB, the New Global Telecom Service Provider, which has inspired the theme for the event – Together We Can Make a Difference. Other initial partners joining the effort will include FOX Sports Houston, Houston Magazine, Culture Map and the official hotel partner, Hotel Zaza.  The event has been developed jointly between The Yao Ming Foundation, a member of The Giving Back Fund’s family of charities, and MMG Strategic Event Marketing.