Fall 2007 - Newsletter

Welcome to the Canvas Update
Bringing you all the latest news from CCT Chiang Mai

The mission of Cultural Canvas Thailand is to generate awareness and volunteer support of the current social issues facing Chiang Mai, Thailand. We promote equality, community interaction, and social change through volunteer services and artistic outreach in conjunction with local organizations. Cultural Canvas Thailand provides service and supplies to projects in the following areas:

• HIV/AIDS Education and Prevention
• Burmese Refugee Education
• Women’s Empowerment
• Hill Tribe Education

CCT Volunteer Home-Base Gets A Makeover
Hidden down a quiet lane behind Chiang Mai’s famed Suandok Temple lies the Cultural Canvas Thailand Home-Base. This October the CCT team, composed of Anna McCarthy, Sara Latshaw, Zoe Lambe and Woravit Rattanakit, came together with good Samaritans, Valere Geurts and Prateep Wangwichian to refurbish the house for the arrival of our first volunteers. Long hours were spent cleaning, painting and reorganizing while the garden was transformed by Wangwichian’s masterful landscaping.

As a team, we shared long hours of painting and shed many beads of sweat, but the hard work has paid off and the Canvas Home-Base is looking bright, clean and better than ever. With new fans and hot water, installed by our hard-working handy man Nut, it is ready for inhabitants. We look forward to welcoming our first volunteers!

Wina The Wonder – CCT’s First Volunteer
We are pleased to announce the arrival of our first volunteer, Wina Wichienwidhtaya, due to arrive next week. Arriving from Seattle, Wina will be spending two months at the Canvas Home-Base where she will be teaching IT skills to Burmese refugees at the Migrant Learner Centre and working as an intern with Cultural Canvas Thailand. As an accomplished businesswoman with great enthusiasm, she will be invaluable to both organizations. We wish her a very warm welcome.

Please Donate To The Cultural Canvas Thailand Transportation Fund
Right now, we are desperately seeking financial assistance for the purchase of a Toyota mini-van. The van will be utilized for a range of purposes that will benefit both our volunteers, partner organizations and focus groups.

The van will be utilized to transport our volunteers to:

• Their chosen CCT partner organization daily
• Surrounding areas for cultural excursions
• Villages in need of volunteer assistance
• Other NGOs and institutions
•  Drop-in centers, conferences and forums
• Transportation of groups from our partner organizations to Canvas Center for art programs

We have found a perfect Toyota Hiace (only 17 years old!) for 136,000 Thai baht (US$4,325.00 or €3,021.00).  Please can you donate funds to help us purchase this vehicle essential for the smooth running of our programs? This is tax-deductible and will be the final step in the CCT Program launch. Contribute a little or a lot; the funds will be used to establish transportation for Cultural Canvas Thailand. Donations can be made at www.culturalcanvas.com/donate.php or sent to by mail to Cultural Canvas Thailand, 1001 N. Barcelona Street, Pensacola, FL 32501.

Thank you for your kind support!

AID - EDUCATE - EMPOWER