Joaquin Miller fifth-grader and Montera eighth-grader hope to bring donations on trip to Cambodia this month
By Quynh Tran
STAFF WRITER
Contra Costa Times (California, USA)
Two Montclair siblings are seeking used digital cameras to donate to an orphanage in Cambodia for an upcoming trip to visit the girl's homeland on Dec. 20.
Sokha Grossman, a fifth-grader at Joaquin Miller Elementary, and her brother Seth, an eighth-grader at Montera Middle School, have been collecting Legos building blocks and used cameras to bring to children at Sokha's former orphanage outside Phnom Penh.
Their father, Paul Grossman, said the children have collected about eight pounds of Legos but need more cameras.
"The children at the orphanage have no pictures of themselves," he said. Grossman said the orphanage has computers but few activities that use technology. He said Sokha and Seth thought having digital cameras and pictures would be a useful, fun and creative way for the orphanage children to express themselves.
"It's precious to have a picture of a friend in the orphanage," he said, especially if a child is adopted and moves away.
Grossman and his wife Janet adopted Sokha when she was 2. Now 10, the girl frequently asks about how people are doing in Cambodia.
"You always hope your child gives something back to the country they came from," he said.
Grossman, a civil rights attorney, said he and his wife, who grew up during the Vietnam War, felt a social responsibility to Cambodia.
It will be the first trip for the family to the orphanage since Sokha was adopted.
"I hope the children will understand and see how the rest of the world lives," he said, "how blessed we are as Americans and to support the children in Cambodia."
Reach Quynh Tran at 510-748-1682 or qtran@cctimes.com.
Donations are accepted until Saturday at Sarber's Cameras at 1958 Mountain Blvd., Oakland and 1749 Solano Ave., Berkeley; Joaquin Miller Elementary School at 5525 Ascot Drive, Oakland; and at Montera Middle School at 5555 Ascot Drive, Oakland. All donations will be acknowledged by Cambodia Tomorrow, a nonprofit foundation based in Seattle, with board members in Berkeley and Piedmont.
For more information about Cambodia Tomorrow, visit www.cambodiatomorrow.org.
By Quynh Tran
STAFF WRITER
Contra Costa Times (California, USA)
Two Montclair siblings are seeking used digital cameras to donate to an orphanage in Cambodia for an upcoming trip to visit the girl's homeland on Dec. 20.
Sokha Grossman, a fifth-grader at Joaquin Miller Elementary, and her brother Seth, an eighth-grader at Montera Middle School, have been collecting Legos building blocks and used cameras to bring to children at Sokha's former orphanage outside Phnom Penh.
Their father, Paul Grossman, said the children have collected about eight pounds of Legos but need more cameras.
"The children at the orphanage have no pictures of themselves," he said. Grossman said the orphanage has computers but few activities that use technology. He said Sokha and Seth thought having digital cameras and pictures would be a useful, fun and creative way for the orphanage children to express themselves.
"It's precious to have a picture of a friend in the orphanage," he said, especially if a child is adopted and moves away.
Grossman and his wife Janet adopted Sokha when she was 2. Now 10, the girl frequently asks about how people are doing in Cambodia.
"You always hope your child gives something back to the country they came from," he said.
Grossman, a civil rights attorney, said he and his wife, who grew up during the Vietnam War, felt a social responsibility to Cambodia.
It will be the first trip for the family to the orphanage since Sokha was adopted.
"I hope the children will understand and see how the rest of the world lives," he said, "how blessed we are as Americans and to support the children in Cambodia."
Reach Quynh Tran at 510-748-1682 or qtran@cctimes.com.
FYI
Donations are accepted until Saturday at Sarber's Cameras at 1958 Mountain Blvd., Oakland and 1749 Solano Ave., Berkeley; Joaquin Miller Elementary School at 5525 Ascot Drive, Oakland; and at Montera Middle School at 5555 Ascot Drive, Oakland. All donations will be acknowledged by Cambodia Tomorrow, a nonprofit foundation based in Seattle, with board members in Berkeley and Piedmont.
For more information about Cambodia Tomorrow, visit www.cambodiatomorrow.org.
No comments:
Post a Comment