CAMBODIA - My first project!

I've gone back to Cambodia many times since my first tiny project, and each time I'm reminded how much I love this special place..

For my first ever project, I went back to Siem Reap in partnership with the UCLA Athletic Department - back to Temple Bayon to see the monks and orphan boys in that community that changed my life. I didn't know at the time that what I was doing was embarrassingly tiny and inadequate, but it opened my heart and taught me the first lessons on how I wanted to do this.

Since that time I opened a small school with my mother, did micro gifts to nearly 50 women in the Kampong Speu area, opened a hospitality center, bought a child out of slavery (so random), paid for years of school supplies, started a bead project, among other things... It's hard to keep it all straight in my mind, but it's a place where my heart always rests, and I'll continue returning to the rest of my life.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

CAMBODIA - Orphanage at Angkor Thom

While traveling in Cambodia in 2005, I met and became very attached to a group of orphans near Angkor Thom.  These kids eventually became the inspiration to start my journey with global aid, so it was only fitting that my first official project was created to benefit them.

I returned with a representative from the UCLA Athletic department to give these kids sporting equipment, school supplies, funding for a new teacher, along with donations for the local clinic - a tiny and inadequate notion, but these amazing kids are the reason for everything that's happened since.

BACKSTORY: Some were orphans, some from families too poor to raise them, and some were there just to learn from the monks. They were playing near Temple Bayon, and when they saw my friend Pete and me, they waved us over. We started playing football by kicking around an old ball of wadded up tape, jumping around between goals, and just dancing around with them Their laughter was infectious, probably because they were just wondering what these crazy American guys were doing jumping around with them.

For some reason, when I got back to the US, these kids and their existence really played on my mind - they were so joyful, but had nothing, and trying to help them became the inspiration for starting a little organization I called Guerrilla Aid.

It was around the time when I met Ric Coy from the UCLA Athletic Department and I told him about Cambodia. He wanted to visit and wanted to help, so he arranged for UCLA Atheletic department to sponsor my first ever project – allowing me to return to give these kids a few trivial items; but more importantly, to let them know that they made a difference in my life.

So, we went back, and my stomach had been in knots for days wondering if they were still there, if I could even find them, or if they’d even remember me... Well, they were there – and they did!

I walked down through their village with a picture taken on the previous trip, and was greeted by the monks - who told me a couple of the boys had changed villages, and the others were at the temple. My heart slowed down a bit, but as we turned to leave, a monk pointed and said, “Look! See! They are coming!” I looked up to see one of the boys, then another, until all the rest came down the path.

My heart started racing as they arrived and just looked up at me. I pulled out the picture and they started pointing to themselves, remembering the spot we took it. I spoke with them through one of the monks, telling them what they meant for me, how they changed me, and that I had a few things for them.

As we looked around their huts, they had no toys whatsoever. Nothing. So when we pulled out large bags full of soccer balls, footballs, UCLA Soccer Camp and Guerrilla Aid T-shirts - they were thrilled to each just get their own soccer ball.

We went back every day, took them school supplies donated by UCLA, provided a chunk of cash for the monks to feed them for the year, taught them the ABC’s and how to spell their names in English, just simple and basically nothing. But, they were joyful nonetheless.

In addition, we also took a donation to Jayavarman VII Children’s Hospital - a free hospital for children in Cambodia sponsored by foreign governments. While we were there, we gave blood, because in Cambodia they are in desperate need of blood to help combat encephalitis- a flu-like disease where the children need a blood transfusion to prevent death (I recommend anyone traveling in the developing world to check if the local hospitals need a blood or plasma donation).

By the end of the trip our Khmer was about as good as their English, but we seemed to understand each other. It was an emotional trip for me most of the time, because I knew what it sparked in me, and that my entire life was about to change.

On the last day, we were all just goofing around, and they looked at Ric and me and said “Mit Piet” (friend), then one of them looks up at us, points to himself and says, “Bhon (buh-own)" (little brother).  As corny as it sounds, we had to look away as tears filled our eyes when we realized we had made a little difference - both of us overwhelmed at the difference they had made to us.

don’t think we could have said “Mit Piet, Bhon Bhon" more than we did on that last day.

It was so simple, basically a nothing burger of a project, but it was absolutely one of the greatest, if not THE greatest experience of my life up until that time, and was the beginning of a whole new life.