*Jackie asked that this message be put up on the website right away because he was so anxious to share it with you!

August 24, 2006

"Today was turning out to be a pretty bad day. I got a call that there were some problems at the Paris set of Rush Hour 3. I was so frustrated because I really wanted to be there to solve the problems and here I was in Hong Kong. I wanted an inventor to come and invent a machine like in Star Trek - a transporter that could get me to Paris and then back to Hong Kong in seconds.  Instead of going to see for myself what was wrong, I had to meet with my managers to try to figure things out. I had to listen to people describe these problems to me instead of seeing them for myself, and the whole situation was really making me unhappy.

Then, my assistant showed me a big box that came in the mail from a woman named Eunice in England. When I opened the box, I couldn't believe what was inside! Pencils, paper, notebooks, rulers, clay, brushes...all school supplies, and all for the poor children in China. Wow! All of a sudden, my day was good and I was happy. This generous woman in England caused my bad day with worries about the movie to become a good day. I want to thank her for that! I thought some more and realized that it was just two days ago when all the Build-a-School donations arrived at the office and I remembered how happy that made me. So I think that sometimes bad things happen, like troubles on a film set. But then something amazing happens and it all balances out in the end. At least I hope it does.

After we took some photos to share with you, I sat and looked at all the supplies and I had an idea and I had a fear. I will tell you first what my fear is. My fear is that many of my fans will see all these supplies and they will do the same thing that Eunice did and send them to my office. Why is that a fear? Because as I thought about how much these supplies cost in England and how much they cost to ship to Hong Kong and then on to China, I thought that maybe my fans could help more children if they don't send the supplies to me in Hong Kong - if they just send some money instead. Some of the things in the box were even made in China originally. In fact, for the cost of one notebook, I could probably buy 25 in China. But how can I say this without hurting the generous woman's feelings? Well, I decided that the best thing to do would be to tell you what she did so you can see what kind of wonderful and generous people there are in the world and to encourage you to do something to help also!

So my idea is, of course, that you will take a little bit of money and send it to my charity. I promise you that every single dollar will go to help people. I am so happy that Eunice sent the box, even though it probably cost more to ship than its contents are worth. Why am I happy? Because I get a chance to show you what kind and generous fans I have! So I am begging you not to send me school supplies. Just send a donation and let me do the shopping!  Ha ha!"

Here are some photos I want to share with you:

"Thank you Eunice!"

"Pencils, pens, books, rulers..."

"This is the second time this week that I am so happy because of you!"

"So many supplies!"

"Yes, I collect unused pencils and pens."*

*You may have read in Jackie's Messages that he collects extra, unused pens from staff members and sends them to China.

"Here I am picking out a few pens from someone who has too many."

"This one looks good."

"Caught by a staff member!"

Remember: Jackie asks that you please do not send supplies to him for the children in China. The cost of shipping these things is so great that it will sometimes exceed the value of the items being sent. If you want to help, please donate to the charity!

Photos ©2006 The JC Group. All Rights Reserved.

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