25th Anniversary Fundraiser and Celebration

On Saturday, February 12th, it actually happened: After having to postpone in December, Shanghai Sunrise was finally able to host its gala to mark the occasion of its 25th anniversary. We had 176 guests join us in celebrating 25 years of giving back to the local community and empowering less fortunate students with education. Sponsors, old friends and new supporters of our charity collectively raised an impressive 93,000 RMB to help fund our student support efforts.

Since its inception in 1996, Shanghai Sunrise has provided more than 12,000 educational scholarships, helping more than 3,300 students from low-income families complete their high school, and in many cases, their university education. In 2021/2022 alone, our charity is supporting 232 high school and 135 university students by covering their education-related expenses and offering development opportunities.

The evening kicked-off at Hyatt on the Bund with free-flow drinks and canapés. Guests mingled with old and new friends, enjoyed a special welcome drink created by 白8 and took photos in their fabulous sparkling outfits. Our guests also participated in a raffle and bid enthusiastically on our silent auction. All prizes, which were generously donated by our raffle and silent auction partners, offered guests a wide selection of some of the hottest products and experiences in and around Shanghai.

Later, we enjoyed a three-course dinner in a spectacular sparkling silver setting. Our longtime sponsor and Chairperson of the Board, Frances O’Rourke, briefly introduced Shanghai Sunrise’s cause and reminded us that all sponsors, partners and volunteers contribute “to help young people in Shanghai follow their dreams.” During the dinner, nine-year-old actress, Maya Wagener, shared stories about two former scholarship recipients who came from very humble backgrounds and who went on to become an engineer and a police officer. Rousang Wang, a national opera singer and a Shanghai Sunrise alumna, performed two pieces for our audience. These success stories served as examples of the potential a good education can unlock. Our guests also enjoyed stand-up comedians Ian Badenhorst and Dewey Parker before hitting the dance floor.

Shanghai Sunrise could not give access to education if it wasn’t for our generous community of supporters. So many people came together to make this event a wonderful celebration. Our Board Member and Events Lead Sara Tanhaee sums it up nicely: “I am humbled beyond words by all the generous support from all the sponsors, volunteers and guests!”

We owe our sincere thanks to our event sponsors Awfully Chocolate, Skin City, KASE and Shanghai Really AV Production as well as our drink sponsors Curuun Wines, Ray Fine Wine, Sherpa’s, St. James’s Place Wealth Management and 白8.

A big thanks goes out to our event platform SmartShanghai, our community partner Shanghai Mamas and our host Hyatt on the Bund!

We also want to thank all of our raffle and silent auction partners:

Finally, we want to thank all of the incredible individuals who contributed their time and energy: Moran Kal and Vivi Wan from Publicis Media for the pro bono design of all event visuals; Dave Tacon and Josh Tinter for the pro bono photography; Theo Niculae for the pro bono video; Mike Rosenthal for being our volunteer Master of Ceremony; Rousang Wang, Maya Wagener, Ian Badenhorst and Dewey Parker for performing for us. And last but not least, to our committed team of volunteers, especially Sara Tanhaee, Kevin Lim, Angiola Rucci, Chiara Artese and Valentina Ricci, for planning and organizing this great event.