Janice Hung gives back

A common misperception is that the youth are self-centered and desperate to entertain themselves outside of the necessary confines of school. Especially in sports, it is not uncommon to see retired national athletes become bloated ghosts of themselves or cash in on their names for personal gain once they’ve supposedly paid their dues. There’s nothing wrong with that. After years of giving of themselves, some athletes feel entitled to take something in return.

Wushu athlete, singer and professional model Janice Hung has always been different. The tall, intelligent, stunning former national athlete in swordplay is dedicating her life to her two passions, her sport and music, and sharing her twin blessings with children who have not had the opportunities that she has. At the age of 7, while her contemporaries were playing with dolls or trying to imitate their mothers, Janice dedicated her time to taiji, gradually gaining the competence that gained attention. She also learned basketball and volleyball and ran track, and earned an athletic scholarship to the University of Santo Tomas where she also became an amateur beauty pageant winner.

“It was very challenging,” says Hung, recently retired from active competition. “It was a personal decision to train instead of having a social life, but I enjoyed it. Wushu made me who I am.”

The sacrifice started reaping benefits. From 1999 to 2007, Hung started turning heads in more ways than one. Her first breakthrough was the gold medal in swordplay in the National Wushu Championships in 1999. From there, she went on a tear in the emerging sport, expanding her repertoire to master chang quan, taiji quan and tai ji jian, taking home at least one gold medal in every national championship until 2007. This was followed up with medals in the SEA Games in 2005 and 2007, and a fifth place finish at the 2006 Asian Games in Qatar.

Janice learned the self-fulfillment of giving back to her sport and her country. She pushed for the publication of books on her two favorite disciplines, tai ji jian and tai ji quan through her mentor Dr. Yu of the Beijing Sports Academy. Thanks to the media mileage from several print and television ads she was featured in, she gained enough clout to put up the Janice Hung Arts and Sports Foundation, Inc, a rather intriguing accomplishment for someone in her 20’s.

“The whole point of the foundation is giving back,” says Louise Viola, managing director of the foundation. “Luckily, Janice speaks and sings in Mandarin, so she is able to get some affluent members of the local and international business community to support her projects.”

The foundation is a beehive of activity, building a recording studio for indigent children who dream of making it big, soliciting donations of used equipment and other resources, and staging painting exhibitions and small shows to attract investors and sponsors. One of their more unique projects is having children interpret songs in paintings, something no other charitable organization has attempted.

But their foundation’s most ambitious project has been the “Muzikademy”, open to all out of school youth and college students 16 to 28 years old who dream of breaking into the music industry. Held at the austere Fontana Leisure Parks inside the former Clark air base in Pampanga, it is a camp and concert for unsigned young artists with unreleased material, unleashing their abilities. Over a span of three days, they are trained by some of the biggest names in the music industry, then get to perform with their singing idols in a celebratory concert at the end of it all. This year’s Muzikademy is slated for November.

“It is a really big challenge because Janice practically does everything; she’s very hands-on,” Viola adds. “We have to provide for the food, accommodations and transportation of 150 youth and arrange for rehearsals and classes with the trainors, who are all so generous with their time and energy.”

Hung’s academy raises roughly P 3.5 million annually for the project, and is looking for more advertising partners to help share the burden. She has been lucky so far that some international businessmen who frequent Fontana have donated funds. But the challenge is a continuing one. Janice also aims to build a mobile recording studio around the country and discover new singing talents in hard-to-reach areas. That is her next step.

As if that weren’t enough, she continues to teach children the martial arts that molded her through her youth, and stay a step removed from the politics and intrigue that plague not only her sport, but all sports in general. Janice has quietly and selflessly given back to her community, inspired the youth and contributed to society with the elegance and dignity befitting a world-class martial artist.

Anyone interested in supporting the Janice Hung Arts and Sports Foundation may call 585-3200 or e-mail [email protected].