Anyway Foundation

 

(Nehalem, Oregon) – Ray Shackelford, owner of Nehalem Bay Winery and Depoe Bay Winery, is expanding his humanitarian efforts in a downtrodden region of Cambodia.

In recent years, his money and actual manpower helped build two schools and a sewing industry that helps create an economy for two towns. Now, in the Cambodian village of Trung Treung – about 90 miles southwest of Phenom Pen, the orphanage that began last year has expanded from one building to three, allowing for more babies to be rescued.

Shackelford’s Anyway Foundation has received non profit 501(c)(3) tax status so any donations are tax deductible.  Follow this link to see the IRS Acceptance letter.

The first building at the orphanage was remodeled last year, and a second and third building have now been added. There are currently 17 children at the orphanage, but the capacity has now been expanded to 20 – which Shackelford believes will be reached sometime this year.

The first building went from a dirt floor to a solid floor last year, and a western-style bathroom was added for increased hygiene. There are better living quarters for the nannies, a groundskeeper, and the facility has a clean water system – the only one in this area.

“That’s one reason the babies are so healthy,” Shackelford.

Other successes of the orphanage include; 11 babies being adopted, 1 to Spain, 4 to France and 6 to Italy.  Now we only have 5 little babies on formula.  So the costs are down.  They have gone from an average cost of $158 a month to $98 a month.  We now have 17 babies but are expecting to have 20 by 2010.

Heartbreaking stories still loom, but they soon turn to successes.  Such as the sickly infant found abandoned under a rubber tree in recent months, apparently without food for maybe days. Or the other little one who had lived on only water after the grandmother became too sick to move and take care of her.

“She probably would’ve been dead soon,” Shackelford said. “For eight days, she’d had nothing but a rag to suck on and water. The father had died of AIDS, and the mother left the child with the grandmother, who could not care for her.”

The grandmother died shortly after. But both babies were nursed back to health and later adopted out, making a happy ending.

The water system comes from a tower, which pumps water from a nearby pond. The water is then run through several filters to clean it up, and then boiled before use in the formula. There is now even some electricity in the facility via generator, which among other important aspects, allows the nannies to watch movies during their off hours.  We now want to install a solar panel to power the lights 24 hours a day so there will be less gas and diesel consumed and we can go even further toward a more "Green Environment"

Although they will be able to host up to 20 kids for the first year, more space may become available later on.

Shackelford is hoping to coax more donations from the outside world now that the Anyway Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charity. Each child costs approximately $98 a month instead of the $158 per month when they were all on formula.

From a sign on the wall of Shishu Bhavan,
Mother Theresa's children's home in Calcutta.
The inspiration for Ray's "Anyway Foundation"