Paul’s Kids

Riversharks Fundraiser: Saturday, July 25th at Campbell's Field, Cambden, NJ

We just received this note from a great Paul’s Kids supporter, Dale Eadie. Check it out and pass it along!

Hi, All!

Here’s Your Chance to Have a Fun Filled Evening and Help Paul’s Kids, too!

I just wanted to let everyone know that Marcia & I are organizing a fundraiser for Paul’s Kids at a Rivershark’s baseball game in the Campbell’s Field in Camden, NJ on Saturday, 25 July 2009, at 5:35 PM. You know that awesome baseball stadium that you can see from the Ben Franklin Bridge? And to make this event even more interesting to our group, the Camden Riversharks will be hosting the Lancaster Barnstormers!

And as if that’s not enough, a spectacular fireworks show will follow the game.

Anyway, all tickets can be purchased online (see the attached flyer detailing how to purchase your tickets so that Paul’s Kids will get credit: Download PaulsKidsRiversharksFundraiser) for $12.25/each ($11.00 + $1.25 service fee) at anytime before the game. However, I will also be bringing a limited number of pre-purchased tickets to the Vietnam Fellowship Picnic for just $11.00/each ($1.00 less than the regular price at the gate). Either way, for every ticket we sell to this game in our section, $5.00 will be donated to PaulsKids.org. 

If you have ever been to a Riversharks game then you don’t need me to tell you how much fun you are going to have and if you have never been then please take my word for it (and I don’t even consider myself a true baseball fan!) The Campbell’s field is a small enough stadium that every seat in the house is great. In addition to the usual baseball game type refreshment stands they have stores, a ‘fun zone’ filled with bouncing inflatables and a rock climbing wall ($5 for an evening pass) and a merry-go-round ($1/ride).

So if you are going to be around on the evening of July 25th, 2009, I hope you can join us. And by all means invite your family and friends, too to support this good cause.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me on my cell phone at: 856-625-5515.

We hope to see you there! :)

Sincerely,
Dale & Marcia

Pinkertons in Vietnam: Day 15

I just returned from Vinh City and Tho Thanh Village. Things went really well. I met with the People’s Committee and the School Board of Tho Thanh Village and they presented me with several project proposals, which are being reviewed for feasibility.
 
In Vinh City, I met with the director of CPFC, our partner in Nghe An Province. I’m happy to report that Paul’s Kids, in collaboration with CPFC, will sponsor ten heart surgeries in Nghe An Province, 20 heart surgeries in Ho Chi Minh City, and 10 eye surgeries over the course of the next year.
 
I re-visited the Orthopedic and Rehabilitation Center in Vinh, where we sponsored the physical therapy exercise room and equipment last year. I would like to report that our money was very well spent. More than 80 patients a day use the equipment in this room. It has been a great success!
 
Thank You,
Paul

Pinkertons in Vietnam: Day 12

Today, I had some very important meetings. First I met with two nuns from Da Nang, who would like our help to renovate one of their rooms into a physical therapy room. They are drawing up an official proposal, and from there the Board will decide on how to best use our donors’ contributions. If we decide to take the project, I think it would be good because it would be a hands-on project that we could do with either of the two summer service experiences. Part of what they want is a mural, which would be great.

The second meeting was with the head nun at the orphanage for blind children. She presented me with a formal proposal, which I’ll be faxing to the Board for review later on today.

My last meeting of the day was with Sponsoring Association for Poor Patients (SAPP). They are the organization that we will partner with for surgeries. They also have programs for hearing, eye-problems, wheelchairs, and school and university scholarships. All of their programs are very good and run efficiently. There is a lot of oversight.

As of now this is what I think Paul’s Kids can do with SAPP for the coming year:

• Pay 40% of the cost of 20 heart surgeries, not to exceed $1,000 per patient.

• Pay for 10 eye surgeries at about $75 per each.

I’m really happy about these meetings and what it means for children in Vietnam. I would like to hit the ground running when I get home. We need to raise money. If anyone knows of anywhere I can go to put on a program for fundraising, please line me up!

Thank You,
Paul

Pinkertons in Vietnam: Day 9

Thanh (our Vietnamese staff person) and I got a lot done today. A local newspaper is doing a story about me and Paul’s Kids. So, we spent most of the day being followed by the newspaper reporter. We visited Go Vap orphange and took lots of great photos and we went to an orphange for blind children. I’m getting everything together that we need to do a project at the orphanage for blind children. I’ll keep everyone posted on the project proposal and the newspaper story that comes out in the local press.

Other than trying to stay dry during very heavy downpours of rain.

Pinkertons in Vietnam: Day 5

Things are moving along. The meeting a couple of days ago in Hanoi with the People's Aid Coordinating Committee (PACCOM) was great.

PACCOM performs the following tasks:

1. To reinforce the partnership between foreign NGOs and Vietnamese institutions and localities
2. To facilitate foreign NGOs' activities in Vietnam, and assist local partners in their relationship with foreign NGOs
3. To gather and disseminate information concerning the activities of foreign NGOs in Vietnam; conduct studies and reviews on the activities of foreign NGOs, and assess the needs of different localities
4. To participate, with concerned agencies, in guiding and monitoring the implementation of the Regulations, laws and policies relating to the operations of foreign NGOs; and recommend to the Government proper policies for the operation of foreign NGOs in Vietnam.

This week I meet with The Friendship House, which is PACCOM's Ho Chi Minh City Office. I will keep you posted about how that goes.

Pinkertons in Vietnam: Day 3

Yesterday I was in Hanoi and met with Mr. Hieu, the director of the North American Desk. We talked for two hours on how to best put our NGO to work. We will continue to do work in Ho Chi Minh City and explore ways to make the best use of our donor’s money in the Nghe An province. The Nghe An province is the poorest province in Vietnam and not many other NGOs work there.

Pinkertons in Vietnam: Day 1

We arrived safe and tired. Things are going well. Thanh [Paul’s Kids Vietnamese staff person] and I will be going to Hanoi on Thursday and Friday. After that we'll dig into the new projects. Looking forward to the next three weeks as we miss Vietnam and enjoy being here. Talk soon.

Service Trip Testimonial - Brad Keyes

Brad Keyes traveled with us last year and has this to say about his experience:

“You’ll not only get to experience the exotic destination but you will also be able to participate in life changing humanitarian work with the children of Vietnam. I promise it will be the best trip you ever take anywhere during your short visit here to planet earth. Just don’t drink the snake wine.  Trust me.”

We're still accepting applications. Join us!

Ever heard of voluntourism?

Do you want to try something different? This summer, Paul is leading two service experience trips to Vietnam. Participants will tackle hands-on projects in a rural village, play with children in orphanages, and maybe even provide post-surgery care to Save-A-Life patients. Traveling with Paul in Vietnam will be the highlight of your year.

1.      Friends & Family Service Trip (July 19-30). This trip is geared toward individuals, groups of friends, and families who want to help! For more information, check out our Service Experience for Friends & Family Home.

2.      College Students Service Trip (August 16-27): Are you an enthusiastic, college-aged student who wants to help? Do you know somebody who is? Check out our Service Experience for College Students site.

Links to the Service Experience websites may also be found in our Quick Links, to the right. Please join us and spread the word!

The Pinkertons are packing their bags

Paul, Sandy, and their kids are heading to Vietnam from May 17 to June 8 to scout out some exciting new projects.

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