by Since our last report in November there have been lots of exciting things happening at the Spitler School in Cambodia. The beginning of classes in September featured the start of our fourth grade class along with a new teacher bringing our total number of teachers to eight. Classes began for 320 students using three newly reconstructed classroom buildings.
This year the Spitler School has become even more of a tourist attraction. In the past few months at least ten different tour groups have visited the school. Most of these groups have generously provided school supplies for the children, but one group in particular was especially generous. Mr. Richard Chong, from Singapore, brought a group to visit in early November. With support from the staff of MindChamps Holdings in Singapore this group brought not only a large supply of school supplies, but they also brought food, clothing, games and sports equipment for the children along with an individual gift for every student. We are especially grateful for the generosity of this group and their CEO David Cheam and Director Cathrine Du.
In December we had the opportunity to purchase a small piece of land that was adjacent to the school playground. The owner of this 1000 square foot plot needed money for medical expenses for his family and offered us this piece of land for $125. After adding some fill dirt to the plot the students and teachers went to work planting a vegetable garden on the land.
The most exciting event of the past few months has been the visit by the medical staff of the Angkor Children’s Hospital in Siem Reap. Due to the efforts of Virginie Paessler, during her time at the school and the follow up by Sarin, a group of medical staff from the hospital visited the school on January 24. During a full day of work the doctors and medical workers were able to exam 290 students. Many of the students were treated for problems like chicken pox, measles, colds, coughs and ear infections. The hospital workers provided medications like sodium chloride, Amoxicillin, oral dehydration salts, pain and fever medications and multivitamins.
The medical staff also created a medical record for each of the children, which can be used to give them priority for treatment at the local children’s hospital in Siem Reap, where they can be treated for free. We are hopeful that better hygiene, along with availability of clean water, and perhaps an improved diet will result in a healthier group of students at the Spitler School.
Finally we are happy to report on another group of travelers who visited the school during the first week of February. This group, calling themselves the Rainiers, have been traveling companions of ours on three previous trips and they finished a tour of Vietnam with a visit to Cambodia, which included a stop at the Spitler School.
The Rainiers, whose name comes from Mt. Rainier near Seattle, have become our good friends over the years and this week they became good friends of the Spitler School as they donated funds to purchase 50 sets of school uniforms and distributed them to many of the students during their visit.
We continue to be grateful and appreciative of all the support that the Spitler Foundation receives from our many friends and from the visitors who have the opportunity to travel to Cambodia, sit in the classrooms, and meet the students who are the beneficiaries of their generosity.
We like to acknowledge the following people and groups who have made contributions to the Spitler School Foundation over the past three months.
MindChamps Holdings – Singapore
David Cheam
Cathrine Du
Richard Chong
Rae Spitler
Kay Spitler
Ida Cutbertson
Joel Armstrong
Joan Gilbert
Virginie Paessler
Ruper-Bowen Jones
Angela Lopes
Larry Luken
Judy Horowitz
Lisa Hoffmeyer
Mike and Bev Maxwell – Rainiers Group
Al and Inge Morris – Rainiers Group
Pat and Larry Curd – Rainier Group
Hank and Cheryl Kiefer – Rainier Group
Charlene Madison – Rainier Group
Brenda Davis – Rainier Group
Larry and Kathy McGinnis – Rainier Group
From the teachers and children of the Spitler School, and all those who are positively impacted by this project, we sincerely appreciate your caring concern and generosity.
Danny & Pam Spitler
Daniel Spitler, President
Spitler School Foundation
P.O. Box 730
Peoria, AZ 85380
“Resource Providers for Cambodian School Children”
www.dannypam.smugmug.com/gallery/602793/
IRS EIN # 20-8085411
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