Well into our sixth year, we are finding more students staying in school and going farther.  Every project we fund has to justify itself by showing how it will keep kids in school.  From the beginning this was our goal and the results are evident.
Our long term strategy remains the same.  We will continue to support our usual four schools.  As we follow our students into high school and university, we will sponsor individuals through scholarships and expense subsidies.  Of particular note is the number of students we have continuing on to university.  This school year has shown a total of five students in college.  As we continue to support our scholars after they graduate high school, we are expecting up to twenty college students supported by the foundation in 2009.

I look forward to my upcoming visit in August.  I will be looking at our current projects and spend a little time with our scholars.  I would like to again thank all you who have donated to the foundation.  Your contributions make a significant difference in the lives of the students we support.  As I always say, even $25 is enough to keep a kid in school.  We all know what a significant difference in earning potential every extra year of school gives.  In these rural areas, a young person’s earnings influence everyone in the village and will help break the cycle of poverty.  Your feedback and ongoing support is important to me. 

Here we are in out fifth year of the Foundation.  I sometimes find it hard to see what effect our projects are having until I look at some of the kids that have been with us since the beginning.  We can see that grades have generally improved.  This is attributed to not only the financial contributions of the Foundation, but also the active support and presence we have there.  We have selected only four schools to work with so that our contributions would make a noticeable difference in the ability of the school to educate the students.  We find that not only the students, but the teachers and administration are energized to the task.  Our financial contributions would have no effect if it wasn’t for the motivation of all involved.

As we move in to our sixth year, we plan to stay the course and do what we can for the schools we have already committed to.  Our scholarship program has exceeded my expectations and we are finding more students that ever who are not only willing to go on to high school and college, but also qualified to do so.

As you know, this newsletter is for those of you who have donated to the Foundation in the selfless cause to help us help these disadvantaged students.  My goal is to show that your contributions have been spent with the up most responsibility.  If you read any part of this newsletter, please read the story we have on an interview with Miss Kantong.  She is really the culmination of our work there.  I hope to see many more kids like her in the future.  Be assured we are truly changing the lives of some of these people.  I can safely say that all of you have helped break the cycle of poverty.

Please feel free to contact me at any time if you have ideas, concerns or anything else.  We are always looking for volunteers to teach English.  If you know anyone that may be interested in receiving our newsletter, please pass their names along.

In closing, I would like to thank Thassanee Ruthirakanok for her tireless work for the Foundation, Chris Koulouris for his never ending fundraising effort and Thassanee’s sister Phen who is always available in Thailand when ever we need her.  I can now look forward to our fall newsletter.