Lewis Underwood
Earlier last month, organizers from the Canadian
Jackalope Open and Jesters Care for Kids Charity Drive convoyed to the
Camillian Center in Lat Krabang near Suvarnabhumi Airport to commemorate
their joint annual donation. For the last 3 years, our joint focus at
the center has been covering the 24/7 care for children living with HIV
and disabilities.
Bill Freeman presents Wayne Ogonoski with a certificate of appreciation
for their Diamond Sponsorship donation this past year.
Our relationship with the Canucks has been a long,
rewarding one. They have been Diamond Sponsors (400,000 plus donors) for
our charity drive since 2008 with the agreement that their donation goes
entirely to the Camillian Center.
With donors like them, who specify where they would
like their donations to go, we try to match them, or at least complement
them, so that together we have a bigger impact on the said project. And,
as a result, over the last 3 years, we have combined to donate 2,169,052
baht to the Camillian Center.
The emphasis of our sponsorship over that period has
been mainly for the total care of Fey and Tewid, two children with
disabilities and HIV statuses presently stabilized.
Taptim after being presented with a shirt from us.
Fey is now 7, blind and mentally impaired while Tewid
is 14, autistic and partially paralyzed. Both children used to be at the
Rayong center before being transferred to Lat Krabang in 2009, where
there are teachers and professionals to provide specialized education
and care.
This center was opened in 2008 with the specific aim
of caring for the disabled. Faisal Malik is coordinator on site and is
assisted by Kannika Tumma, who is in charge of PR and their outreach
program, which entails home visits to the disabled in the community. And
of course, the indefatigable and ever-engaging Father Giovanni oversees
it all.
At present, there are 17 resident children, 16 of
those are orphaned and 8 are HIV positive. There are also 14 regular day
visitors, who come for basic education and physical therapy. Most of the
kids are affected by physical disabilities, multiple disabilities,
blindness, or are learning impaired, autistic or have Down’s syndrome.
There are 34 dedicated staff members at the center,
who together work 8-hour shifts around the clock, every day of the year.
Our trip there was culminated by giving the kids
commemorative T-shirts from this past year’s charity drive, followed by
having lunch with everyone. In the end, the simple rewards of it all
were those instant smiles that brighten the kids’ faces whenever a
glance is exchanged.
We are perennially grateful to the organizers of the
Canadian Jackalope Open for being the major impetus in making it all
happen for these special kids. We look forward to seeing those
infectious smiling faces once again at their Christmas pageant on
Monday, December 27th.
If you would like more information about our projects
and charity drive, please visit our website:
www.care4kids.info.
Erle
Kershaw, Bernie Tuppin, Wayne Ogonoski, Bill Freeman,
Father Giovanni and Khun Kannika (in wheelchair) with the kids.
