As we put away the barbeque after a long Memorial Day weekend and enter the summer season, our newsletter is also going to take a more laid back approach this month, mimicking life for most Americans. Most of us are still digesting burgers and hot dogs and instead of trying to digest a technical newsletter, this month our topic is not going to be technical in nature but rather to let you know about some of the non-technical things that your technology partner is doing.
Recently, I (Colden Company Inc. President, Jim Lapointe), returned from a trip to the Philippines. As some of you may already know, my wife Malou is from there originally and still has family there. While visiting there, we always visit Playnet, Inc., a non-profit organization that helps underprivileged children get an education. In some of the poorer areas of the Philippines, many children who live outside of metropolitan areas and cannot afford it are left without an education. Playnet Inc. is an organization that recruits volunteer teachers, often parents of the children, and procures a place for the kids to get an education. Some of these school locations are not at all what we in the United States would imagine a school to look like.
On my first visit in 2007, I was shocked to see the first “school”, was no more than a 12 foot by 12 foot room with half walls and a roof. When it rained outside, the children would be getting wet. A second “school” had large holes in the floor that small children no older than five or six would have to hop over to avoid falling fifteen feet down into the water below. Conditions were less than ideal for learning. For the last four years, Colden Company has been providing assistance to the good people at Playnet to help them build safer buildings for the kids to learn in. We are proud to say that both the schools mentioned above have been moved into larger concrete structures. This not only creates a safer environment but allows Playnet to educate more children as well.
Most of the schools still lack books and in some cases even chairs for the kids to sit on, but progress is being made. Playnet now has close to thirty schools opened up around the outskirts of Davao City, Philippines. Although Playnet Inc. is a Christian organization, many of the schools reside in the predominately Muslim areas of Davao and the education provided to the children is centered on basic reading and writing skills; skills needed to be successful in life.
As we take time to reflect on the meaning of Memorial Day, and thank our troops for their sacrifice, it is also nice to reflect on what those troops are protecting. America is a great place with great people and we enjoy many advantages that others around the world do not enjoy. Americans are generous people and I would like to also thank the many friends and associates that have helped us support Playnet over the years. Your generosity has made a difference. I have seen it firsthand. Thank you for your support.
For those of you who have come to expect technical nuggets from our postings, stay tuned for topics such as tablets, an extension of our managed services offering and more in the coming months!
Picture inside one of the new structures built by Playnet Inc.