Summer Fun Fund

Every Watopotian is blessed to have three meals a day, clothing, shelter, medication and healthcare, and education.  Their basic needs are always put first and always met.  Donations flow into Wat Opot enough for the essentials, but there isn't much room in the budget for anything else.  When I reflect on my own childhood, summers were the most fun time of the year.  My family went on trips to the beach, got lost in big cities together, my sister and I went to camps, and we did things together that I'll never forget.  I want to bring some of that to Wat Opot.  These kids are so amazing and deserve to have an incredible summer.  I have started the Wat Opot Summer Fun Fund to raise money to bring more fun into their lives and to give them a summer to remember forever.

I am asking my friends and family to make a $10 contribution, with a goal to spread the word to 100 people and raise $1000.  Anything left over once the kids go back to school will be put into the Wat Opot health clinic.

Some of the activities that I have in mind:

1.  A day trip to Phnom Penh for the high schoolers that pass their exams.  The teenagers want to see the Royal Palace, National Museum, parks, and riverfront.  They also want to do what teenagers all over the world want to do: go to the mall.  The girls have a burning desire to go to the mall in Phnom Penh, window shop, eat at the food court, talk about boys, etc. and the boys want nothing more than to go to the arcade and rollerskate.  This would be a great day exploring their capital city and learning about their own culture, but also a perfect incentive to study hard for finals and progress in school.

2.  What do you get when you mix spontaneous children, a large floor space, and a great donated sound system?   Impromptu dance parties.  We have had a few dance parties lately with everyone from 2 year old Ratana to 20 year old Saman showing off their moves.  The boys and even some of the girls have amazing talent for breakdancing and we usually end up in a circle cheering on dance-offs.  I always dance too, even though I have absolutely no rhythm and I get made fun of the whole time but it's so much fun that I don't even care.  One night after one of our dance parties, I went on idealist. org, an online network for NGO and NPO profiles, jobs, volunteer opportunities, etc. and searched "breakdancing" just to see what I would find.  Imagine my shock when the first search result was a breakdancing NGO in Phnom Penh that "uses breakdancing, Hip-Hop music, and the contemporary arts as creative tools to empower the youth of Cambodia to live healthier lives free of HIV and drugs, build a more promising future by furthering their educational opportunities, and become positive role models for their community."  I have been corresponding with them via email, and they have agreed to come out later in the summer for a performance and workshop with our kids for a reduced fee.  What an extraordinary experience, since all of the Watopotians LOVE to dance.  This is also another example of what happens when you keep faith and let things come to you, I still can't believe that I found them!

3.  In May, a German NGO that funds the art projects at Wat Opot sponsored an all day art festival.  The kids had easels and paint scattered throughout campus and with the help of the older art students, spent the morning painting.  The afternoon consisted of a special lunch, prizes, and of course- a dance party.  I was amazed at how well the paintings turned out.  The kids had so much fun reaching into their imagination and expressing their creativity.  As these paintings are being used for exhibition by the German NGO, they will not be available to display around campus though they would bring so much color and life to the Wat Opot dorms, kitchen, clinic, playroom, and schoolhouse.  I would love to bring another art day to Wat Opot, just the morning painting part, to give them another chance to discover their talents and make beautiful pieces that could be enjoyed around campus every day.

4.  Kids love water and splashing and our kids LOVE Tonle (lake) Bati.  Our first trip this year was a total success and another one before school starts would be a wonderful way to end the summer holiday.

5.  Yoga class is a weekly event that our kids look forward to teaching and participating in every Sunday.  A few of the older kids have been through a basic yoga teaching certification and lead small groups in stretching, posing, and meditation.  Long Dy, one of the oldest residents, has been presented with a unique opportunity to study yoga at a higher level in Phnom Penh.  This certification process consists of a series of intensive weekend workshops which address both theory and practice.  With this certification, Long Dy will be able to bring more yoga to the other instructors which will be shared with all of the children.  This will also allow Long Dy to find employment in Phnom Penh as a yoga teacher next year while he attends university which will help to offset some of his education and living costs.  There is a yoga NGO in Phnom Penh that is sponsoring Long Dy, but Wat Opot has been asked to help pay for the courses.  As they take place during the summer, this too will be included in our Summer Fun Fund.

As aforementioned, any funding remaining at the end of the summer will go to the Wat Opot health clinic which has been very busy treating both Wat Opot residents and members of the community.  My paypal has been cleared and is ready for donations, and is located on the right side of the page under the blog archives.

For those in America, you can also send a check or cash to my parents house at 16 Clearwater Ct. Damascus, MD 20872 made out to Kate Bernoske and my mother will deposit it together, or make a tax-deductible donation through the Wat Opot Children's Fund at www.wocf.org and indicate that you'd like your donation to go to the Summer Fun Fund.  As the summer holiday is quickly approaching, I'd like to set a deadline of July 15 but of course would accept any and all donations after then.

If you are unable to give, please try to spread the word to someone else who may.

If this doesn't work and none of the above get funded, it won't matter to the kids who know nothing of any of these plans.  The truth is, they are happy playing marbles, swimming in the pond, climbing trees, and playing homemade games, but let's see if we can't make their summer a little more exciting :)

Thank you in advance for any and all donations!