"We have committed to building five schools in China, working with a sister foundation over there," said Sandler. "Big cities such as New York and Los Angeles are what we are thinking right now for the next fund-raising event."

Standing close by Yao's side at the event was a smiling, medium- sized Chinese man named Tony Hu, a well-known Chinese entrepreneur who owns five Chinese restaurants in the United States. He opened the door of one of his own restaurants -- the Lao Beijing -- to host this fundraising event.

Although just approximately two thirds the size of Yao, Hu has an equally big heart as the basketball star. The hospitable Hu was busy all night trying to make sure everything runs smoothly.

In fact, he has devoted every minute he could over the last couple of weeks to try to bring more people to this event. Some of them came out of town just for the fundraiser, according to Hu.

"I personally made over 100 phone calls to my friends to ask them to join Yao Ming tonight and contribute to this honorable cause!" Hu told Xinhua. "We could not determine the date until less than two weeks ago. Otherwise we could have gotten more donors."

Asked why he is so dedicated to helping the fundraising event, the Chicago restaurateur said passionately: "Because I am Chinese and I am from Sichuan. I was in Sichuan last October to help rebuild schools too. What I saw over there is really heart- breaking. They really need money there. It takes a long time to recover from such a disaster! A lot of donations have not materialized yet!"

Hu also mentioned Chicago's Sichuan Earthquake Relief Fund which was established right after the earthquake and has raised over one million dollars so far. "I am a big fan of Yao Ming. He is a good model for our overseas Chinese. I trust him and I hope we can join hands together to donate to the Yao Ming Foundation!" he added.

Xie Yunliang, deputy Chinese consul-general in Chicago, told Xinhua: "Yao Ming is very much loved by both Chinese and American people. He is such a compassionate person with a loving heart. His great contribution and strong spirit will not only help children in Sichuan but also encourage people over there to rebuild a better world. On behalf of the Chinese government, I would like to thank all the participants tonight for their help to people in Sichuan."

"Please trust me! I assure you that I have the ability to make sure each penny raised here will be used for the earthquake area. Please support my foundation and give me more strength to help more people in need," Yao promised to the cheering crowd at the end of the fund-raising event.

(Xinhua News Agency May 23, 2009)