Leah Lau Wins 2010 Schwab Outstanding Community Service Award

Dear family and friends,

I was stunned to walk into the office this morning to a wall of congratulatory emails: I won Schwab's 2010 Outstanding Community Service Award. Only one is awarded per year for community service outside of the firm, and one is awarded per year for finance related community service.

Following my 2009 nomination, for 2010, lightening struck. =) We featured my current philanthropy founding the Cambodian Children's Book Project, my service on the board of the UCSF AIDS Health Project and my year-round work on Art for AIDS, its premier annual fundraiser.

This award, which comes with a $2,500 donation to a charity that I've volunteered with (details still being sorted with the Schwab Foundation), is one of the most amazing things to ever happen to me. It is an honor and milestone that helps celebrate the volunteerism I've been dedicated to since I was 17.

Thank you all for being such a loving part of my community. I am grateful for your presence every day.

Love,

Leah

Sat 2/19/11 Cambodia donations at Rare Device grand opening party

Dear friends,

Please join me on Sat, 2/19, for an amazing opportunity to check out the revamping of a local gem and support the Cambodian children of the ELMA School!

My philanthropic and talented friends, Giselle and Phurba Gyalzen, are taking over the art and design gift store, Rare Device.

Saturday, February 19 from 11 am to 6 pm

Customers who bring a book or school supplies to donate to the Cambodian Children's Book Project will get 10% off their entire purchase. Refreshments will be served.

ELMA School wish list

Become a fan

Rare Device is located at 1845 Market Street at Guerrero in San Francisco.

For more information, please call the store at 415.863.3969, check out the website atwww.raredevice.net, or email info@raredevice.net.

Read the entire press release here: http://www.raredevice.net/content.php?content_id=1061

Hope to see you there!

Cheers!

Leah

Jet Set: Vitaliy Kralka Flying Books & Clothes to Bangkok > Siem Reap

Amazing thanks to Vitaliy Kralka and Will for flying two donated suitcases filled with 62 books, including several gorgeous oversize atlases and glossy educational library reference books, and 79 pieces of clothing to Bangkok on January 7, 2011, and then sending them on to Siem Reap, where Vey Lav can them bring them to the ELMA School.

If anyone has contacts who might be able to transport them the last leg from Bangkok to Siem Reap instead of our shipping them, Vitaliy could hand them off Jan. 9-10, 2011 in Bangkok.

Michael Nickoloff and Sean Heskett donated the suitcases, and all of these philanthropic and generous angels donated the books, clothes, storage space, people power, labeling, sorting and logistical help to make this latest donation for the ELMA School happen!

Izabela Akerman, Trey Bundy, Andrew Byrne, Winnie Chan, Andrew Chandler, Ann Dowd, Mary Dowd, Dora Fang, Marc Fong, Anthony Haraguchi, Holly Haraguchi, Sean Heskett, Vitaliy Kralka, Martine Jardel, Kai Kronfield, Alliey Lau, Cathy Lau, Eric Lau, Grace Lau, Leah Lau, Marcia Lau, The Lyon Family, Paris Morgan, Eli Bingham & Ingrid Bingham, Fran Navarro, Michael Nickoloff, Eileen O'Neill, Sheridan Pauker, Teri & Helmut Peindl, Louise Roberts, Thurgood Marshall Library, Jen Valdivia, Katherine Wong, May Young

Suitcases to donate to ELMA School?

Does anyone have 1 or 2 airplane checkable suitcases or bags to donate for Cambodia? A flight attendant friend is flying them there Dec. 29, so I'll fill them with books for the ELMA students. Wheels would be awesome but aren't essential.

Please email cambodiabookproject at gmail.com

Thanks and happy holidays!!

Leah

2010 Semester Update from Vey Lav

Dear Joshua,

Thank you so much for your help, effort and hard work for Elma foundation, we would like to send kind regards to all donors who support Elma and put it under their concerning eyes.

We are all doing fine, the kids attend the classes six days perweek. The new semester which began in the late September, now ELMA help more then three hundred children, included the new students. For more then three years since Elma started its project, we found the significent improvement in the language, acknowlegement of foreign language in Sambour area, noticeable numbers of enrollment, the numbers of drop out become lower etc ..... even it is a small project in Cambodia but we are highly responsible for kids' security while they are at Elma. We work closely with Sombour community and hospital when the kids get sick and injured.

We will send you the photos of the items, the kids handed with the clothes as normal when the stuff arrive at Elma.

We know the donors are looking for their donations and they will be used, we do all our best for all donors......

Best wishes and regards

Vey

Merry Christmas from Joshua & Jeremiah Chan: 9 Boxes to the Students

Dear Vey,

Awesome news! over the past few months, my friends, colleagues and I
have been picking out children's clothes, books and stationery for the
kids at ELMA. Today, we have just shipped all 9 boxes of them out.

How have you and the kids been? please share with us an update!

We really look forward to the kids receiving these items!

Look forward to hearing from you!

This is my blog that I use to share the message of the ELMA kids -
https://achancetoshare.wordpress.com/

Merry Christmas!!!

Love,
--
Joshua Chan

Global warming is still the huge concern for our people

It takes long time to write you back, it has been so hot since the end of winter in Cambodia, as we know it was over 40 degrees today. Malaria and diarrhea are still harming the children and even the adults.

I just talked to ELMA teachers for buying the 2 normal water filters that both cost less than $100 for ELMA School this morning, we hope the proposal will be carried out quite soon as it so important issue related to the kids' health care.

I have also asked Sambour Commune for the electricity and soon the electricity wire will be installed and connected from Old Market area to Sambour directly, but the costs of the Siem Reap electricity is still the subject to be considered by the poor people in the out skirt.

All the best wishes,

Vey