Chelsea and Charlotte Reinnoldt, twin sisters who attend , are organizing some fund-raising programs among classmates, friends and neighbors to raise money for impoverished schools and children in Siem Reap province, Cambodia.
"We first visited Siem Reap as part of a five-month, educational around-the-world trip that our parents took us on in 2010-11. We went to Siem Reap to see the ancient ruins at Angkor Wat, but ended up meeting quite a few kids that were our age selling things in the street to earn a bit of money for their families, so my sister and decided to help them once we got back to the U.S.", said Chelsea.
Since that time, the girls and their friends have raised over $450 through Christmas caroling and snow shoveling during the recent storm. The money will be used to buy a water buffalo for a family and school supplies for a school in Siem Reap. The donations that Chelsea and Charlotte help raise also sponsor English classes for kids in the rural areas of the country.
"Tourism is really big in Siem Reap, and English skills are important for someone who wants to work in a hotel, for example. By providing village kids with training, we can hopefully help them improve their chances for eventually getting good jobs to help their families", said Charlotte.
Chelsea and Charlotte's father, James, is a lecturer in Global Business at the University of Washington, Bothell. He will be taking a group of MBA students to Thailand and Cambodia on a study tour in March 2012. He and his 17 students will be helping non-profit organizations in Cambodia with their business strategies, and will also sponsor the construction of water wells, compost toilets, and vertical gardens through the money they are also raising. Anyone interested in donating games, clothes or funds to these charity programs can contact James at jreinn@u.washington.edu.
Information from James Reinnoldt
