Steve Rutledge and Mike Yap Present...

Located in downtown Port Hope, Ontario, scores of people converged on the historic Capitol Theatre on the evening of Saturday, September 28, 2013 to attend the annual Adopt a Village in Laos fundraiser. In addition to a fabulous night of entertainment, Steve Rutledge and Mike Yap, the founders of Adopt a Village in Laos, graced the stage where they presented a simply beautiful production rich in visuals and music showcasing the work of the charity.

Helping People Move On...

When I visited Vientiane, the capitol of Laos, in December 2012, I took the opportunity to drop by the COPE Visitor Centre. It was there that I picked up a copy of one of this organization's brochures which goes into detail about its wonderful orthotic and prosthetic rehabilitation programs.

Finally, I got around to digitizing this brochure so that I might be able to share it with a wider audience. By clicking on COPELAOS brochure, you can download a copy of it for yourself.

Laos Free

In the July newsletter of Legacies of War, there was an embedded link to a recently released animated short produced by Cory Sheldon. Just over 9 minutes in length, the story of the bombing of Laos by the United States during the Vietnam war and the consequences of the 80 million bombs still remaining in the country today is presented. Part narrative and part info-graphic, the film tells the story of what happened, what life is like today and possibilities for the future.

My Volunteer Business Card

This is my volunteer business card design which I completed today. By this time tomorrow, I will have a stack of these cards on hand to distribute when the situation presents itself.

COPE (Co-operative Orthotics and Prosthetics Enterprise)

This morning I received the May newsletter from COPE (Cooperative Orthotics and Prosthetics Enterprise), a local not-for-profit organization in Vientiane, Lao PDR, which I visited in December 2012. 

This particular organization provides services to people with disabilities (including victims maimed by unexploded bombs, the deadly remnants of the 'Secret War' which are scattered throughout Laos in the millions) to help them move on.

My Birthday at Sabai Sabai

On the evening of Saturday, May 4, a small group of us (including three of my Lao friends who live north of my home city of Toronto) dined at Sabai Sabai, the Lao-owned Thai restaurant, to celebrate my 51st birthday. When we arrived, there were already lots people. By the time we departed, the restaurant was packed with customers.

Shortly after arriving, I presented one of the owners, who is originally from Vientiane, a framed version of the water filter campaign poster for Adopt a Village in Laos and a small stack of water filter brochures. I explained that he should display them both in a prominent location in the restaurant, with the intention of generating awareness and excitement among his customers.

The following day I posted a message to Sabai Sabai's Facebook page to thank the owners and staff for making my special day such a truly wonderful and festive experience.

Explore Legacies of War Multimedia Interactive Centre

This morning I discovered a new, visually dynamic section on Legacies of War web site.

Called Legacies' MIC: giving the past a voice, this multimedia experience "serves to educate the public the U.S.-led secret war carried out in Laos from the mid 1960s through the 1970s."

Explore it today and learn.