Paul’s Kids

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.

To stay up to date, subscribe to PK Journal by clicking here...or on the link in the lower, right corner of this web page.

2009 Spanky Scholarships Students Receive Tet Gifts

This year, kids in Tho Thanh village received some very special gifts for Tet, thanks to you—their Spanky Scholarship sponsors!

The 2009 Spanky Scholarship donations covered the cost of the gifts, and included each child getting five notebooks and five pens. See photos from the ceremony>

 

PK Wear - Put on a Little Paul’s Kids

We’ve received lots of requests from friends and donors for PK clothing and gear. So that you can show your Paul’s Kids pride and help spread the word about helping kids in Vietnam, we’re introducing PK Wear!

We have t-shirts, long sleeves tees, and sweatshirts in youth (S, M, L) and adult sizes (S, M, L, XL, XXL, and 3XL). Check out the merchandise here.

And they’re affordable:

• Adult t-shirts/long sleeves: $20
• Adult sweatshirts: $25
• Youth t-shirts/long sleeves: $15
• Youth sweatshirts: $20

To place your order, follow these easy steps:

1. Donate the amount of your order online. (Please add $5-$10 to your donation to cover shipping costs.)
2. You will receive a payment confirmation email, which you will forward to Paul at paul@paulskids.org with the size(s) you want and your full shipping address.
3. You’ll receive your shipment in 5-10 days and then you can put on your new gear and show your PK pride!

Sell on eBay, Help Paul’s Kids

Do you sell your wares on eBay? Well now while you sell, you can support Paul’s Kids through eBay Giving Works, the program dedicated to charity listings on eBay. Paul’s Kids is now in eBay’s nonprofit directory—check it out!

Here’s how it works: When you sell an item on eBay, you can choose to donate 10 to 100 percent of its final sale price to Paul’s Kids. (There is a $5 minimum donation required if the item sells.)  The percentage  will be donated to Paul’s Kids and a tax receipt will be issued to you by Mission Fish, who administers this program for eBay.  Mission Fish will also notify Paul’s Kids of your donation.
 
Next time you create your eBay listing, look for the eBay Giving Works option to select Paul’s Kids. For more information, visit the Giving Works site.

Happy selling for a great cause!

Save the Date - It’s Time for Tet!

It’s that time of year again and we hope you’ll come join Paul’s Kids for our Second Annual Tet celebration, in honor of  Vietnamese New Year.

This year, the festivities will take place from 12 pm - 4 pm on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2008 at the Washington Fire Company, 36 W. Elm Street, Conshohocken, PA 19428. Like last year, we’ll provide an authentic Vietnamese lunch, a silent auction, a 50/50 raffle, and lots of great Paul’s Kids items for sale.

So, save the date - Saturday, Jan. 24, 2008 - and email brenda@paulskids.org for an invitation!