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Jodie Jodie O’Shea Newsletter April / May 2006 |
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Our website is up and running Given the increasing interest in our children and their wellbeing, we have created a website of information and photographs We truly appreciate the hard work and creativity that has gone into bringing this idea into fruition. This magnificent effort can be credited to Alison's father, Gerry Chester, who has spent many long hours on this demanding task. Top job Gerry!! The New Yayasan A Yayasan¡is a non-profit legal charitable organization. As you know we have been struggling with authorities to obtain Yayasan status. Richard Flax, an expatriate based in Bali for many years, offered to bring our orphanage under his existing foundation thus giving us legal recognition. Many thanks to Richard and we look forward to nurturing this new union to provide a better life for the children of Indonesia. If you wish to send a donation to the orphanage via Yayasan Manusia Untuk Masyarakat you may be entitled to a tax benefit in your country.
The big day out at Bali Treetop Adventure Park On Good Friday, we took the children on a wonderful excursion to Treetops in Bedugal. This proved to be quite an adventurous outing for one and all with 65 treetop circuits providing a truly memorable experience and fantastic panoramic views of Bedugal Botanical Gardens. Thank you so much to Alison's daughter Rachel for not only coming up with the idea of the excursion but also paying for the children to enjoy this 'big' day out!! Holiday plans Like any family, it is always nice to share a holiday together and like most families this means having to save up. This year we have booked to go to Pemuteran, in the north of Bali, for a four day holiday from June 24th-28th. Anybody who is interested in joining us, please let us know as soon as possible. We have a fundraiser planned at Alison's home for May 12th with musician and composer Gary Malkin who is very kindly providing us with entertainment on this occasion. Funds raised will go towards the children's June holiday. New building update The new building is now complete and you can see photos on our website. A multitude of thanks to Melissa from Body & Soul. As some of you are aware, we desperately needed decent access onto our property. With a very generous donation from a school friend of Alison, we have been able to build a safe bridge. Thank you so much to Carol Carter who after all these years still remains the special friend that she was back in primary school. For some time now we have been negotiating to lease a plot of land in front of the orphanage. We would like to use a small portion of this land for a working garden and the rest for sporting activities, such as volleyball, football, table tennis and badminton. The owners have agreed that with a small deposit paid now and the balance paid within 12 months we can lease the land for 15 years. We cannot emphasize enough the benefits of having this extra space as a safe and secure outdoor area for our children. We hope that our May 12th fundraiser will generate enough money to cover holiday expenses. Ideally we would also hope that any extra money can be put towards the new land purchase. Anyone from Perth visiting Bali? We are always on the look out for people to bring up donations of clothing and toys. If you have any extra space in your luggage and are willing to help please contact Roslyn Seale We would like to take this opportunity to express out heart felt thanks to Ros for all her hard work, support and 'urging' and above all her friendship. You're a star! Thank you¡¦ We would like to thank Wendy Gray and Burwood Girls High School in Sydney, Australia for their very generous donation which has enabled us to secure the new piece of land. A photo of our children receiving the cheque can be seen on our website. A big thank you to Alma from Kimberley Fashions in Australia for your continued generosity on each of your visits to Bali. Another huge thank you to Grandma Jones in Hawaii for your splendid donation. Last but not least, we would like to thank you all for continuously supporting our children, our orphanage and our projects. We honestly could not do any of this without you. Address: |