A couple weeks ago, I told you about how I got involved with Kids at Risk Cambodia, a small non-profit run by a colorful character from the U.S. named Cowboy Bart. Bart and I rode out into the province here, together with the Cambodian medical students Keep Calm and Keep Hope, to visit two orphan sisters that Kids at Risk has been supporting.
Meeting Jenny and Jenna was a life-changing experience and I immediately jumped in to help any way I could - fund raising, building the organization a new website, and sharing their stories with you. Thanks to your generous donations, we were able to buy them school supplies, art supplies, and some new clothing, which Keep Calm and Keep Hope delivered to the ecstatic and appreciative sisters.
We also got the good news that Jenny and Jenna have been accepted into a NGO's school program up in Siem Reap (a tourist city and home to Angkor Wat, about 5 hours to the north.) The sisters are excited about the opportunity to go to school every day and have the stability of a roof over their heads in their new home, and Kids at Risk is still going to be a sponsor that helps pay for their education, food, clothing, and living expenses, and we'll always be advocates to make sure the girls are healthy and happy.
Meeting Jenny and Jenna was a life-changing experience and I immediately jumped in to help any way I could - fund raising, building the organization a new website, and sharing their stories with you. Thanks to your generous donations, we were able to buy them school supplies, art supplies, and some new clothing, which Keep Calm and Keep Hope delivered to the ecstatic and appreciative sisters.
We also got the good news that Jenny and Jenna have been accepted into a NGO's school program up in Siem Reap (a tourist city and home to Angkor Wat, about 5 hours to the north.) The sisters are excited about the opportunity to go to school every day and have the stability of a roof over their heads in their new home, and Kids at Risk is still going to be a sponsor that helps pay for their education, food, clothing, and living expenses, and we'll always be advocates to make sure the girls are healthy and happy.
Now, we're planning something bigger that's going to be insanely fun. While planning the next visit to the girls in the province, Keep Calm and Keep Hope and I came up with the idea to throw them a nice goodbye party, something they've never experienced before. As we brainstormed about what we could do for them, the med students came up with the brilliant idea to bring the girls to the big city of Phnom Penh for the party, not bring the party to them! They told me that the sisters had never been to Phnom Penh, even though it's only an hour away, never have eaten pizza, never have had a cake for themselves, and never been into a toy store, movie theater, amusement park, etc.
So, around May 20 we're going to surprise Jenny and Jenna and give them the best day of their lives. We're going to send a tuk tuk out to them, but they'll surely be puzzled when we're not in it. Instead, there will be balloons on it and instructions to hop in and the driver will take them to the city, where we'll greet them. From there, it will be an action-packed day of spoiling the girls rotten with all the things most kids take for granted; ice cream along the river walk, a pizza party, gifts at the Toys Land play center, and the Dream Land amusement park, just to name a few. This will all be paid for out of my own pocket, not with any money from the organization.
So, around May 20 we're going to surprise Jenny and Jenna and give them the best day of their lives. We're going to send a tuk tuk out to them, but they'll surely be puzzled when we're not in it. Instead, there will be balloons on it and instructions to hop in and the driver will take them to the city, where we'll greet them. From there, it will be an action-packed day of spoiling the girls rotten with all the things most kids take for granted; ice cream along the river walk, a pizza party, gifts at the Toys Land play center, and the Dream Land amusement park, just to name a few. This will all be paid for out of my own pocket, not with any money from the organization.
How special will this be for them? Remember that these are girls who, until Kids at Risk came into their lives, were used to sleeping outdoors on wooden benches in the jungle, scavenge for food, owned one pair of raggedy clothes, never had medical care, never went to school, and had no mother or father or relatives to show them love. Now, they're going to get the superstar treatment they deserve!
I can't wait to see the expressions on their faces, as these girls show the brightest smiles you've ever seen just when you buy them a Coca Cola! I honestly think this could be the most fun day I've ever had in my life. But of course it's not just about giving them toys and too much sugar - I want to take them on a quick tour of the university here in Phnom Penh, show them middle class and professional women at work, and also drive them by the U.S. embassy, just so they can get a taste of what's possible if they keep dreaming big. The medical students and I will also help the girls transition up to Siem Reap and visit them at their new school in early June. Our commitments to Jenny and Jenna are for life, but in the meantime, let's party!
Yup, this is gonna be fun!
- Norm :-)
I can't wait to see the expressions on their faces, as these girls show the brightest smiles you've ever seen just when you buy them a Coca Cola! I honestly think this could be the most fun day I've ever had in my life. But of course it's not just about giving them toys and too much sugar - I want to take them on a quick tour of the university here in Phnom Penh, show them middle class and professional women at work, and also drive them by the U.S. embassy, just so they can get a taste of what's possible if they keep dreaming big. The medical students and I will also help the girls transition up to Siem Reap and visit them at their new school in early June. Our commitments to Jenny and Jenna are for life, but in the meantime, let's party!
Yup, this is gonna be fun!
- Norm :-)
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These are a few of the sites and activities Jenny and Jenna will enjoy on their big day in Phnom Penh! I'll be sure to post plenty of photos and details of the party.
Please contact me if you'd like to make a donation to help support the girls or other children in need in Cambodia .
Please contact me if you'd like to make a donation to help support the girls or other children in need in Cambodia .
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