Ka Hale A Ke Ola
“Breaking the Cycle of Homelessness:
The founding family of TKO has always lived with the Spirit of Aloha in their hearts, but on Jan. 18, 2012 they found a place of love nestled on the back roads of Wailuku, Maui.
Ka Hale A Ke Ola is a homeless resource center for families that provides necessities that families need to get back on their feet. The shelter provides housing for the lucky few who get in and for those waiting they offer resources to help their children. When a family needs to interview for a job, the staff provides free child care, counseling and educational skills to assist the parents in obtaining and keeping a job. TKO was not allowed to take photos of the children as some of them were in hiding from abusive parents and relationships.
The children were loving and sweet and were playing in the playground as we toured the center. Tiffany Somera, the Director of Children Services said that they are in need of everything from diapers to educational toys. The children range in age from 6 weeks old to teenagers. You can also donate your time and special skills to the teenagers. We plan on offering a Kids Finance Lesson on our next trip by the kids finance coach. www.kidsfinancecoach.com
If you want more information:
Contact:
Ka Hale A Ke Ola
808 986-8281
Once again we find that even in the most beautiful places in the world, there are kids in need.
TKO volunteers asking LA Kings Fans to donate to Camp TKO and Kings Care
TKO helping hands recently had 40 volunteers at the Staples Center. Their mission was to collect donations for kids from military families to attend summer camp.
The LA Kings and the Kings Care Program has teamed up with Turn Kindness On for three games during the season. Jan. 7, Feb. 25 and March 17th. Each of these games they will have TKO volunteers throughout the Staples Center asking for you to donate loose change that your children may find around your home or simply drop a bill or two.
They are also selling $5 raffle tickets for a great prize. On January 7th, the Raffle tickets were sold and $2450 dollars was raised during that afternoon.
The Winner received 2 glass seats, row 1 for the January 12th game.
The Winner drawn: Tim Raboin
Congratulations Tim, We will look for you on the glass at the next LA Kings game.
For more info or raffle tickets for our next drawing call: 818 264-4981
Using her home as a free day care center, Nuannoi Timkul (Khru Noi) hopes to save poor kids from drowning in a sea of poverty and illiteracy.
TKO (Keanu and Tristen Ellen) visited the Rat Burana slum of Thailand and found a 54 year old woman who has been caring for slum children for the past 17 years. After a spinal operation, Khru Noi was paralyzed from the waist down. All of her savings had been depleted and her husband, a factory worker and herself were near penniless. While her husband went to work, Khru Noi who was dealing with her own depression saw children in her neighborhood who were wandering around the town, often stealing fruit from neighbors gardens to eat. Unlike others who condemned the children, Khru Noi took them into her home and shared stories of life as well as the fruits from her home. According to Khru Noi, the parents of the slum children are mostly poor farmers who work as unskilled labor in the Rat Burana area. Khru Noi, who has a junior high education started to teach the children to read and write. Her husband earned 70 baht a day (approximately $2.10) and gave her 20 baht (60 cents) which she used for noodles to feed the children. Khru Noi sold her belongings and took odd jobs to earn extra money to buy books and a blackboard. Within a few years she had over 60 children. She tried charging the parents but the parents would then just make their children not go to Khru Noi and it left them wandering the streets so she stopped charging the parents. She has helped a few of the children graduate from school and as we watched her limp and drag her paralyzed leg across the room, we could see a true love for her children through her eyes. An amazingly inspiring woman, Khru Noi touched the hearts of our TKO family.
Once a woman who was sad and depressed about her own life. She has now taken it upon herself to help others. Today her kindness has helped her to find a passion to care and teach children in need.
We carried bags of dehydrated foods donated by Alpine aire foods and Natural high foods. We also packed soccer balls and toys donated by the employees of American financial network from their Holiday party. www.afn-net.com If you want to help Khru Noi, please let us know and we can send your donation to her or let you know how to reach her. She is in need of financial assistance and from what we saw, she truly spends every cent on the children. The very small, cluttered home had many children coming through during our 3 hours there. We purchased pizzas and drinks and handed out many smiles to these very thankful children.
Thank you,
Team TKO
The Ellen family
Brett, Mandy, Keanu and Tristen Ellen
TKO visits the slums of Thailand
Our recent trip to Bangkok, Thailand once again proved very rewarding. It showed us how easy it is to reach out to those in need. We asked the locals upon our arrival to our hotel if there was an orphanage that we could visit. We stopped by a local market and purchased some diapers, wipes, food and drinks. We called ahead of time to ask if we could bring some items.
We were welcomed by the staff and we were asked to watch a video about their services. The Baan Fuengfa center cares for 440 children from ages 2-13 years old. These children were all mentally or physically disabled. Their families were not able to care for them so they were placed to live at this full time residence.
TKO was touched by the sweetness of the children. We had the opportunity to sit with them during their lunch time. The Baan Fuengfa center is government funded and also takes private donations at the Krung Thai Bank Public Company Ltd. Pakkred Branch account No. 123-1-18770-0 Their telephone number is 02 5836815 and their website is www.fuengfah.com
They appreciate any help that they receive as the assistance they receive from the government does not cover their expenses for their children. If you are planning a trip to Thailand, they welcome visitors and as one volunteer told us while we were there. ”We can always use simple things like diapers and wipes as we often run out of them and the babies must sit in dirty diapers”. This was the first orphanage we visited on our trip. We spent time with many children who were missing limbs and had other physical deformities.
They children as well as the staff were all very appreciative of our time. We hope that our visit will bring more visitors to their center to assist them in their everyday living.
Thank you,
Team TKO
Mandy Ellen
Lunch and ice cream with the children of Baan Fuengfa disabled babies centerTKO founder Tristen Ellen and child from Baan Fuengfa disabled children's ctr.
