During the month of August we were quite busy in assisting the community. We painted the Ban Yoei Sakae Elementary School from stem to stern--- including every paintable surface— the outside walls, ten classrooms, the new library and computer room, the teacher’s meeting room, the principal’s office, the hallways, stairways and bathroom facilities. We were able to do so with the help of eleven foreign volunteers from the USA, Germany, Australia and Canada who were out here at Treehouse to help on these and other projects. Thanks to these precious volunteers who were here to help out during that time who included: Allison and Katie from Connecticut, Ashley and Emily from Lemont Illinois, Bri, Kari, Jon, Eric, Ginger, Clinton and Talia from the race around the world 2007, Tom and Kathy Wallace and their 3 children from Australia now living and working in the Solomon Islands, Seth and Rhoda Gray from Oregon USA and their 4 children, plus their helper Mercedes from Tennessee who will be opening Wilma House Orphanage and Adoption Center in Vientiene, Laos during the month of December, and to Laura Stolz from Germany. Delightful Salina Salter was also here to help out at English camp. Salina has been here 4 times over the past 5 years and is very much a part of our family. We were sure busy here at the Treehouse. During this time, we were joined by five Thai soldiers sent by the commander from the army garrison hospital located here in Buriram and an additional ten Thai volunteers from the community of Yoei Sakae where the school was located, about 15 kilometers from TreeHouse. As part of the makeover for this school we were able to raise the necessary funds from various donors around the world as nearly 2,500 dollars in funds were gathered from donations made for these purposes, plus the six huge boxes of beautiful clothing from the Singaporean friends and students of former volunteer Eugenia who took up the call. With the funds we received we were able to purchase 24 computer desks, a teacher's desk for the principal, 8 ceiling fans, 80 gallons of interior and exterior latex paint, 12 sets of bookcases, 3 sets of playground equipment (swings, slide and carousel), 47 sets of school uniforms for students whose families were unable to afford them and provide sets of play clothes for the kids at the school and toys for the nursery and kindergarten and kids from grades 1 to 6 for an additional 105 kids at the school. Surprisingly, we ended up on TV Channel 3 (national news) and the principal was invited to share about the project on the local radio station the day after we had completed the project. The community on Ban Yoei Sakae is coming alive! After we left they began building a feeding kitchen for the school to provide breakfast and lunch meals to the kids in the village in attendance at the school. We also set up and conducted an English camp for two days for 250 4th-6th grade students at the elementary school which is located around the corner from the orphanage, at Dreikom School and placed about 150 English language children’s story books in their library--- and all this was just over a one week period. The month of September brings some really significant expenses to the forefront for us here at TreeHouse: second semester tuition charges, school costs, books and fees for Thienchai, Apinan and Waraporn at Buriram Rajabhat University, term tuition charges for Eileen for Marie Anusorn School , after school term expenses for Fil, Fern and Sam at Anubol Elementary School, as well as for Tawnee Dawn at Buriram Phitthayakhom (Secondary) School. Luckily, Gai and Narumol at Dreikom School will only have lunch expenses assessed this term, and for Somsak it will be the same. The extra outlay for school related expenses in September is approaching 2,000 US dollars this term, not nearly as expensive as in May when it reached nearly 4,000 USD. Two of the children, Eileen and Narumol, do have sponsors who help significantly in covering their school expenses. Next year Narumol will be attending Benjo-Techo School to study computers and that will be just as expensive as the university currently is. Gai will be entering a vocational program next year at the Salapachang Center. Fortunately this school is not nearly as expensive as the others. But with these changes outlays for education will be up significantly. Also September is the time we have to pay our annual life insurance, car insurance premiums, motorbike insurance, and visa administration costs so I can stay in Thailand for another year. That is all in addition to our normal everyday expenses of keeping the center going. If you feel you can help please forward your contributions to Family Life Church (address on web site) and designate for the “Walker’s in Thailand,” whether they be great or small--- everything counts when it comes to making this effort to make a real difference in the lives of so many children to go and grow. With deepest appreciation, Roger Walker Phongsri and the children of Tree of Life Orphanage, Buriram, Thailand 166/23 Na Watpa Road, Amphur Muang, Buriram 31000 Thailand email: treeoflifeorphanage.thailand@yahoo.com telephone 001-66-44-617011 or mobile 001-66-(0)89-416-7783