Doug & Sharlene Gardner Preschool.  There are 59 children (ages 3-6) identified to attend the preschool.  We are waiting for the approval of a Rotary Matching Grant to begin operation.  The grant will provide operation and maintenance funds to the preschool for a period of 3 years. We have hopes that it will be approved soon

Bukidnon Projects

Kulamon

This was the foundation's first project and it has been unbelievable successful.  We have given the "seal of success" to the entire program and our only involvement will be to follow up periodically and to help them both expand programs and market their handicraft products both in the Philippines and abroad.  H.E.L.P. Foundation was formally recognized by the mayor of Malaybalay, Bukidnon, for its contribution in building a better life for the people of Kulaman.

Bethany 

July 4^th is always a special celebration of Philippine/American Friendship Day in the Philippines.

For Bethany, it was the day that our dearest "Mom" Louise Lynip passed away.  The whole month of July was such a very hard time for all of us at Bethany. On July 20^th, we received a 1 month old baby girl which reminded us that Bethany Home will go on and will continue to receive and care for homeless children even

after the death of its faithful founder.  The past 6 months have been a test of faith for us at Bethany.  Much of the previous support has gone away but we have been able to sell some selected mahogany trees and new interest has been generated through the H.E.L.P. Foundation to support our basic needs.  As of this time we have a total number of 28 children under our care.  We are again going to receive a 1 month old baby boy this week and he will be our Christmas baby!  From January to Dec. 6, 2006, we were able to place 10 children for inter-country adoptions, two were placed locally in the Philippines and one baby was reunited to her biological family.  We need you to keep praying for us.  We need your help monetarily or in kind to support the needs of our children at Bethany.  We still have pending bills and are mostly behind in most of our payments like food and electric bills but we trust that the Lord will take care and provide for us.  On a brighter note, we are pleased to announce that H.E.L.P. volunteer Jennifer Gillespie from Copeland, KS will join the Bethany staff for three months.

Goat Project

Goats Galore!!  This project has the most potential to be really successful and make a significant difference in the lives of the rural poor in Bukidnon.  As in most cases, I am growing in knowledge as the project expands.  Initially, we were providing goats to selected poor families and these families were supposed to give the offspring to another family and theoretically the project would perpetuate itself.  Well, in real life, it didn't work that way.  Typically, nanny goats give birth to twins, or triplets, but seldom have only one offspring. Amazingly, the nanny goats that I provided to families only had one offspring and many times that one offspring died or at least that was what was reported! So the self-perpetuation in many cases, ended in the first generation.  So I went back to the "drawing board" and modified the distribution plan.  I decided that if this program was going to work, I was going to have to spend some of my own money to develop a "closed loop" system.  Initially, we are constructing a building to house the purebred goats ("breeders and nanny's).  In January, we will provide families with pregnant crossbred females.  After the female delivers and upon weaning, one of the female offspring will given back to the foundation to be bred and distributed to another family.  Our goal is to double the size of the goats through selective breeding and have 150 families with goats by October, 2007.  We will also be experimenting with milk goats as an alternative milk source for young children.