Charity News

NNR Charity Finds New Homes for In-Kind Gifts, Connects Teens with Volunteer Work Nonthaburi Neighborhood Reach (NNR) Supporting Local Charities Since 1994 On Friday evening, February 21, neighbors gathered at Bumble Bee Free Library on Soi Prasert Issaram (blue house opposite Que Pasa) to enjoy an evening of puzzle making. BBFL board member Jona Sta. Romana was in charge of the Puzzle Project. Not only did Jona sell more than half a dozen puzzles from the collection, she also organized a fun night of ice-breaker games and puzzle making for local children.

When Maxine Ping wanted to find new homes for her late husband's valuable jigsaw puzzle collection, NNR Charity steppedup to help. When the Coronavirus led to the last-minute cancellation of ISB's overseas high school trips, NNR Charity helped connect students with a local non-profit. NNR Charity, headed by Jenna Deacon-Potter, is in charge of a 3-pronged job: 1) forwarding in-kind donations from the community to local groups; 2) finding volunteer opportunities for neighbors; and 3) recommending grants to the 10 local charities supported by NNR (Nonthaburi Neighborhood Reach) Maxine’s husband, Glenn Ping, loved puzzles. He could finish a 1,000-piece puzzle in just 3 days, she said. The beautiful jigsaw puzzles he collected through the years feature famous works of art, and each is quite expensive. When he unexpectedly passed away during winter break, Maxine wanted to find new homes for her husband's prized puzzle collection. She reached out to NNR's Jenna, who put her in touch with Bumble Bee Free Library (BBFL). Maxine was happy with what BBFL proposed: 1) putting the valuable puzzles to good use in a fundraiser, and 2) hosting Puzzle Night at the library by inviting neighbors to gather and work on the puzzles together.

The previous week, on Tuesday, February 11, NNR Charity Chair Jenna received a call from ISB. All overseas trips in the schools Global Citizen's Week (GCW) program had been cancelled due to concerns about the Coronavirus. Could Jenna put the school in touch with NNR-supported charities? The school wanted to create alternative GCW experiences for the following week. Jenna contacted Bumble Bee Free Library, which readily offered to host GCW students February 17-21. Five of six BBFL board members were in town, and all pitched in to share 9am-4pm shifts for five days to host the students and assist two faculty advisors.

In all, a dozen high school students showed up at BBFL during GCW week to help with library projects such as designing publicity banners, building a bicycle rack out of PVC pipes, doing yard work to clear the front of the library and create a rock garden. BBFL also took the teens to the local homeless shelter to spruce up the BBFL Reading Corner there that serves nearly 500 shelter residents. Students also played with Cambodian children detained at the shelter.

Back at BBFL’s main branch outside Nichada,

Thani Talk March 2020 Liz Lu faculty advisor Kevin Davy and the students discovered that underneath all the overgrown weeds and dirt, there was a colorful sidewalk. Mr. Davy then borrowed a pressure washer and together with the students, totally cleaned up the front area.

In the mean time, Dean of Academics Justyna McMillan took students to garden centers in search of landscaping materials, flowers, and plants. By the end of the week, the front of BBFL had been beautifully transformed. Passing neighbors who had gawked at the students working out in the sun all week smiled, marveled at the new look, and gave us thumbs up.

BBFL could not have done it without the help of all the GCW students and Ms. McMillan and Mr. Davy. A huge thank you to all!