date: 07 26 2005

TRIP FIVE ANNOUNCED.
Hey everyone. Thanks for your patience and support over the summer. We have officially decided to say GO to trip five. The next team will be due to arrive in Bangkok on September 17th, and work will begin on Monday September 19th. The trip will be two weeks long and conclude on October 1st.

If you are interested in participating, please let us know by emailing Mach Arom (mach@phuketproject.org)or Nancy Curby(curby@phuketproject.org). The team will be limited to the first twenty people who sign up. If you can help with planning and coordinating, we need hands there, too. Let us know and we can definitely find stuff for you to do. (We are still working on the details of what we will actually be doing, so as soon as that information is finalized we will be sure to let folks know. It will likely be similar to the sort of work we did for teams one through four).

WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO.
We have been waiting out the monsoons, but all reports are that there is still much to do. Thanks to the various volunteers who have stayed in touch with the people in Thailand, including Mui, Nick Toscano, Montira Vareedee, James Vierling, Tim Lomas, Nancy Curby and others. Maya Gorton and Geoff Roth are also in the process of updating the site, too, in between trying to keep their everyday lives in balance.

Nevertheless, what has been so unique about this project are its people, and the connections our volunteers have made with other volunteers and folks in Khao Lak and Phuket is truly special. Hopefully, this will continue for the rest of the year and for years to come. Its great to know the group has made a difference not only in terms of building homes, but also in the hearts and minds of new friends on the other side of the world. There are already a few people who have signed up to go AGAIN for trip five.

ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN SOCIETY
We recently applied for a grant from the American Pacific American Society. This group is based out of New Orleans, and has raised $400,000 specifically for tsunami relief. In the beginning of June, their executive director flew to Southeast Asia to visit Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia to view the damage from the tsunami. We submitted our application at the beginning of July and are requesting their support to buy playground equipment for the Kamala Child Development Center.

Thanks to James Vierling for putting us in contact with the organization and to Mui Kabkrue, Nick Toscano, Zach Heeter, Montira Vareedee, Jason Carroll and Nancy Curby - who got on a plane and flew all the way BACK to Phuket to meet with the representatives from the organization, show them our work, and lobby for additional financial support. Thanks to Emily Lepore and Margarita Garcia, too, for putting together a great collection of photographs and facts about our work, and to everyone for helping craft such a great story to tell.

THE ORPHAN PROJECT
Montira Vareedee, Tim Lomas, Julie Roy-Camille and Jamie (from Phuket Hospital) have been working in Phuket over the past several months and honestly, doing amazing work. They have been documenting the stories of various orphans on the island and have spoken to more than 60 students at more than fifteen schools, photographing the kids and tracking their personal experiences of life after the tragedy in December.

There are amazing stories. And these experiences are a good reminder that there is still a lot of residue from an event that happened almost nine months ago. We will look into the possibility of coordinating some sort of project with these kids, but want to acknowledge the incredible initiative and honor the hard work of these Phuket Project alums who decided two weeks was only a small part of a much longer-term solution.

ARLENE'S GROCERY FUNDRAISER
There will be a CD release party on Wednesday July 27 and Thursday July 28 with all proceeds from the sale of the 'Best of Arlene's' benefiting the Phuket Project. With more than ten bands on the schedule across both nights, guests who pay the $10 admission will receive a free copy of pretty cool live music from one of New York's best known live music venues.

Muchas gracias to the bands, the folks at Arlene's and Danny Garcia, who wanted to do this months ago and never lost sight of the finish line. There are actually CDs with the Phuket Project logo on the sleeve and that is pretty cool. So, if this newsletter gets itself out in time and you are near the 212 area code, head over to Arlene's and chill out for a good cause. www.arlenesgrocery.net is the place to go for more details.

ETCETERA
Other than that, we hope everyone is doing well. Spread the word about the fifth trip. If each of the 94 volunteers find one more person to go, we can keep this going for a few more months. Lets not let it fade from the minds and hearts of people like us - our friends, our families, the people we work with or see in our neighborhoods. Seven months may seem insignificant to those of us so many miles away, but for many of our new friends in Thailand, we know what happened will be a part of their reality for a lifetime.

Thanks everybody,

The Team at PhuketProject.org

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