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Forbes Asia Honors Dr. Tei-Fu Chen as a 'Hero of Philanthropy'
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Sunrider International Founder Dr. Tei-Fu Chen, representing Taiwan alongside New York Yankees pitcher Chien-Ming Wang, Evergreen Group President Yung-Fa Chang, and Delta Electronics CEO Chong-Hua Tang, has been honored by the world-renowned financial magazine Forbes Asia as one of 2009's "48 Heroes of Philanthropy." For Dr. Chen, this honor is more important to him than being named on the "Richest People in the World" list.
Forbes Asia recently selected 48 individuals from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Australia/New Zealand, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, India, and Indonesia, a total of 12 countries, as "Heroes of Philanthropy." Forbes' special correspondent, Joyce Huang, nominated Dr. Chen to this list because of the profound impression he made during her September 2007 interview with him. From January of this year, Forbes Asia started to examine and make detailed assessments of Dr. Chen's charitable works. As a result, Forbes Asia bestowed Dr. Chen with the distinct honor of being a "Hero of Philanthropy."
Forbes Asia praised Dr. Chen in its cover story: "Dr. Chen has pledged or donated more than $3 million in cash and another $2.9 million in in-kind contributions during the past decade. This includes $1 million being given to the Hong Kong Committee for UNICEF over four years, ending next year. He funds sports, arts and culture, environmental programs, disaster relief, education, and health-related groups."
Sunrider's products are sold in 42 countries worldwide, and Dr. Chen's charitable endeavors parallel his business success, expanding into these countries. Charity beneficiaries include the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Deseret International Foundation, the Lifeline Express/Sunrider Microscopic Eye Surgery Training Center, Indonesia Tsunami Relief, various cancer support groups, the Franciscan Hospital for Children, the Foundation for International Law & Management, the Chinese and Israeli Olympic teams, and many more. After the 2003 SARS epidemic, Dr. Chen donated US$500,000 to his alma mater, Kaohsiung Medical University, to build the only "P3 Laboratory" in Southern Taiwan, which is committed to the research and prevention of major epidemics in Taiwan. In 2006, Dr. Chen donated another US$350,000 to his alma mater for its educational and research programs.
In 2004, Dr. Chen received the "World Outstanding Chinese" honor. Dr. Chen has always had a passion for Chinese culture and heritage. He opened the Chen Art Gallery inside the Sunrider International World Headquarters, located in Torrance, California, featuring his precious personal collection of art pieces and antiquities. The Chen Art Gallery is open to the public for free. Dr. Chen has made extensive contributions to the Asian Artist Museum, the Asian Youth Center, the South Bay Chinese School, and to the Chinese American Museum for its research into Chinese-American history, culture, and contributions to society. Through his support, Dr. Chen hopes to contribute to increased understanding and integration between Eastern and Western cultures.
Following Dr. Chen's example, many Sunrider® Authorized Store Owners and Sunrider employees have also made charitable contributions and activities an important part of their daily lives. Their support includes: 1 million RMB and large amounts of products donated to the relief efforts to aid the victims of the Sichuan Province earthquake, and support for various community services, AIDS and cancer prevention, the Red Cross Blood Drive, Adopt-A-School, the Gang Alternatives Program (GAP), Earth Day environmental clean-up events, and many other charitable works. These are the reasons why Dr. Chen says he will share the honor from Forbes Asia with everyone in the Sunrider family.
Translated and reprinted with permission of the Liberty Times, April 1, 2009.
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