18May2024

Making a Difference ●Building Dreams ● Creating Impact ● Saving Lives

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HEAD OFFICE:                          548 Market Street,
San Francisco, CA 94104         USA

PROJECT OFFICE:                  Pearl Condo, Bldg A, 15 Fl., Kabar Aye Pagoda Rd.,      Yangon, Myanmar

hello@marykyapfoundation.org

US: +1 415 991 2030                 US: +1 415 799 8282                    MM: +95 9 977 66 7777

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1. An Orphan Thoughts on Mother Day
COMMENTARIES
May 9, 2021

Orphans on Mother’s Day

“A mother is she who can take the place of all others but whose place no one else can take.”

– Cardinal Gaspard Mermillod (1824-1892)

Every May, America celebrates and honors mothers on this special day by thanking them for all the love and sacrifices they’ve made. But sadly, this is not the case for children in every town and country in the world who have lost, been taken from, abandoned by, or sent away from their mothers.

An orphan may suffer long-term emotional problems due to their failure to resolve their sense of loss for their mother. The effects of trauma can include symptoms of depression, being more anxious and withdrawn, having more problems in school, and diminished academic performance than non-bereaved children. Some also have difficulty building relationships and have trust issues as they lack maternal support while beginning their life journey. Abandoned orphans will always be left with the question of if their mothers truly loved them.  These orphans feel incomplete without their mothers.

Celebrating Mother’s Day is not the same for everyone; for some orphans, it will remind them of their feelings when they lost their mother. Mothers generally support us through all our victories and hardships as we build our lives. Therefore, some orphans will feel envious of the children who can spend time with and be cared for by their mothers. Living and growing up without a mother to lean on, especially on the most challenging days, is not easy.

Many orphans also live in poverty and cope with mental and emotional problems at an early age, in addition to the burden of losing their mother. Even though some still have their fathers and are considered “single orphans, ” the loss of the love and care that mothers bring is irreplaceable.

These orphans are vulnerable but hopefully will remain strong and determined to continue living and pursuing their dreams. Although these unprivileged children have no mother to celebrate Mother’s Day, they should still be surrounded by unconditional love from those who appreciate and care for them. Let this be an encouragement for us to be there for the underprivileged ones, the orphans, as we celebrate this Mother’s Day.

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By admin
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CORPORATE NEWS
January 8, 2021

Chairman’s Gratitude

January 8, 2021

Happy New Year!

Mary K. Yap Foundation continues collaboration with our charity film partner, Mandalay Productions, at the beginning of the year for the post-production process for the upcoming film “Myittar.” The final mixing for the feature in Thailand was initially held last February 2020 but halted due to the Pandemic. The team also started scouting for a location in early March to shoot another music video to support the upcoming charity movie if COVID-19 comes to closure by year-end 2020.Covid strikes from the beginning of April until the last days of 2020. During these times, we planned and organized the Marketing strategies for the future release of “Myittar.” 

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Although traveling was impossible, we retooled and redesigned our outreach programs, anticipating that traveling and fundraising would be limited. By August 2020, the editing adjustments were successfully submitted to the Censorship board. Due to the continuous Covid Outbreak, we did not have the chance to celebrate Christmas with the orphans since social distancing was strictly observed in Myanmar.

Please join me in extending our warm hearts and prayers to the orphanages during this difficult time.  Our rice donation program will continue with selected orphanages where we can travel freely using domestic routes.  

Should your have any extra attention, our Yangon offices is always opened for assistance.

Yours Sincerely,

Dr. John Palmer

By admin
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INDIVIDUAL SPOTLIGHT
March 12, 2020

Bridgit Claire’s Inspiration

Bridgit Claire Mendler was born December 18, 1992, in Washington, D.C.is, the daughter of Sandra Ford-Mendler and Charles Mendler. She is an American actress, singer, and songwriter.

In 2010, Mendler became ambassador to First Book, a campaign to encourage reading and give books to children in need where it became part of Disney’s Friends for Change, a pro-social “green” initiative of charity for environmental issues encouraging fans to act in the year 2011. She released a promotional single called “We Can Change the World” on June 11 as part of the campaign theme. It raised $250,000 for the Disney Worldwide Conversation Fund. 

In 2012 Mendler won the honorary award from Common Sense Media as Role Model of the Year for her work against bullying. Mendler was the third young artist to win the prize, which usually honors environmentalists and scholars. She also attended the annual UNICEF acoustic concert in New York to raise donations for charity in January 2013.

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During the course of her young professional life, Mendler participated in various public causes including the end for cyber-bullying, a charity race to help children with health problems in underprivileged countries and a Bay Sit-In project which asks for teens to help give parents a break and give babies a healthy start to their future. Mendler represented the Save the Children during the charity congress for the institution’s  annual Advocacy Summit in Washington, D.C.

Mendler said, “It’s an easy way for kids to help little ones everywhere get a healthy start and an opportunity to learn just by doing something they do most weekends anyway.”

The Save the Children’s president, Carolyn Miles thanked Mendler publicly for humanitarian work: “We are thrilled to have Bridgit on board. Her passion for helping children came through when she met with families and kids during her visits to the remote communities in the deserts of California and Guatemala’s western highlands”.

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By admin
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CORPORATE NEWS
January 8, 2020

Founder’s Gratitude

January 8, 2020

Dear Friends, 

Happy New Year to everyone, and I hope that 2020 is off to a great start for you. 

Earlier last year, I am pleased to inform you of our foundation’s milestones, results, and achievements in which the Mary K. Yap Foundation entered a Memorandum of Understanding in the filmmaking process with Mandalay Productions LLC (MP) for their first-ever movie entitled “Myittar,” a charity film to combat the plight of orphan communities in Myanmar.  

Our organization has worked closely with Mandalay Productions for the shooting process over the past two years.   We sincerely appreciate our dear friends, Edward Thaung, George Rush, and Gabrial Jack, for providing valuable legal guidance to successfully bring foreign artists from Myanmar to the US on a 0-1 Visa.  After nearly three years of planning and preproduction, our film team commenced principal photography on February 17, 2019. Having a huge cast and production team in the United States is challenging. Multiple shooting sites brought Myanmar talents Htun Eindra Bo and Lumin to the United States for the first time on American soil.  Our US team, led by our Director, Graham Streeter, together with Alex Lebosq, Producer and AD, and camera team, Nicholas Burress visited Yangon to complete the Myanmar production in June 2019. 

We thanked Skyline College in San Bruno, California, which permitted us to the theater shooting sites. Thank you for the celebration at Skyline College and for believing in our charity film project.  Additionally, we could not have completed the second half of the production in Myanmar without the unwavering support of our Unit Director, Grace Swe Zin Htike. We are extremely grateful for Grace who facilitated site permit arrangements of B-Roll Myanmar’s culture at the Film Development Center studio in collaborations with the Myanmar Motional Picture Development Office.

We wrap up the year at three orphanages by sponsoring luncheons, desserts, and activity games with orphan children.  Our ambassador volunteers presented the children with one stuffed toy for each child as a present to hold on to at night, especially during the holiday.In the coming year, 2020, together with our partners and church communities, we are looking toward a more exciting year when we have completed our post-production of Myittar, slated at the beginning of 2nd half of 2021.

Yours Sincerely,

Mary K. Yap

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By admin
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INDIVIDUAL SPOTLIGHT
January 4, 2020

Life is tough without Hope

No other Hollywood celebrity has captured the hearts and affections like Marilyn Monroe has done for decades.  Her stardom and popularity continued to glow even after she died in 1962.  

In 1999, the American Film Institute listed 100 Years …. 100 Stars.  Monroe ranked as the sixth greatest female screen legend. Yet, her story is no other than before her.  Marilyn was an orphan.  Her mother, Gladys Baker, had paranoid schizophrenia throughout her life.  She was mentally unstable and financially unable to care for her daughter, so she placed Norma Jeane Mortenson (Marilyn Monroe’s birth name) with foster parents, whom she lived with until she was 7.

There are scores of Hollywood films, one after another, starring Marilyn that brought fame and attention to the screen.  Among all her releases, the most famous film was “Some Like it Hot,” in which she won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress Award category in 1960.  The film co-star Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, and George Raft.  The comedy story was about two male musicians who witnessed a mob hit that led them to flee the state in an all-female band disguised as women, but further complications set in.

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Despite the many unfortunate events in Marilyn Monroe’s life ever since she was a little girl, from having an unable mother to marrying a couple of times to different men in her life, Monroe lived a beautiful life before her death on August 5, 1962. However, she didn’t let these unfortunate moments in her life stop her. Instead, she made it possible to be famous and well-known in her craft and delivered each film excellently.

 “Keep smiling because life is a beautiful thing, and there’s so much to smile about,” said Monroe.

Our board continues to provide hope and love to all underserved children in Myanmar, especially during this worldwide pandemic. Our goal remains to reach out to vulnerable children and integrate them well into their communities so that they can thrive, like how Marilyn Monroe was able to do when she was adopted into a foster care system at a young age. 

By admin
CAMPAIGN HIGHLIGHTS 2
CAMPAIGN STANDOUTS
September 6, 2019

Each1TeachOne: ABCs English for You

Introducing the Mary K Yap Foundation’s: Each1TeachOne: ABCs English for You, Empowering Orphans through the Power of Language.

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Mary K. Yap Foundation believes that language is the primary source of communication. Therefore, learning the English language opens the door to many opportunities as this is the Universal language used by many. As part of the Mary K. Yap Foundation’s ongoing efforts to transform the lives of orphaned children, we organize a year-run program that offers an “#Each1TeachOne: ABCs English for You” course. This program provides teaching assistance to Myanmar disadvantaged children ages 10 – 16 that include Orphaned Children to study English at a young age, aiming to teach them the basics of the language and expose them to its usage and comprehension.

The “#Each1TeachOne: ABCs English for You” program is a quarterly managed course, offering selected children the opportunity to learn basic English lessons. Our goal is for these children to progress and reach the intermediate level by the end of each program. The Mary K. Yap Foundation’s vision is for all orphans in Myanmar to become proficient in the English language, thereby improving their opportunities for academic success and future job prospects. Additionally, teaching English within the comfort of orphanages ensures accessibility and convenience for the children.

Learning English holds immense benefits for orphaned children. It enhances their chances of passing university college exams and opens up a multitude of job opportunities as they grow older. By equipping these children with English language skills early on, we empower them to navigate a globalized world and participate more fully in educational and professional opportunities.

In recent campaign news updates, the “#Each1TeachOne: ABCs English for You” program has seen significant progress, with many participants showing improved language proficiency and confidence. The Foundation continues to work closely with orphanages and educational partners to ensure the success and sustainability of the program. Regular assessments and evaluations are conducted to track the children’s progress and adjust the curriculum as needed, ensuring optimal learning outcomes. Through the “#Each1TeachOne: ABCs English for You” program, Mary K. Yap Foundation remains committed to empowering orphaned children through language education and expanding their horizons for a brighter future.

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By admin
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INDIVIDUAL SPOTLIGHT
April 22, 2019

By Any Means Necessary

Malcolm X began his childhood with an unforgettable traumatic experience when his ministerial father, Earl Little, was brutally murdered by the Black Legion on September 28, 1931, known to many as a racist terrorist organization.  Malcolm was only six years old when he lost his father. However, the situation worsened for the fatherless Malcolm when his single mother, Louise Little, was diagnosed with a mental illness. The ailing mother of 7 children registered at the mental institution where she needed to stay for 26 years.  

The day-to-day survival was a massive struggle for the Little family to meet end needs.  Since no one was to look after them, Malcolm and his siblings lived in various foster families under the government assistance program.  Malcolm did not finish school in the seventh grade and was sent to a juvenile home in the nearly all-white community of Mason, Michigan.  A few years after living with foster parents, Ella Collins, Malcolm’s half-sister, gained custody of the 15-years old Malcolm and moved to Boston in 1941.

As a youngster growing up as an orphan under his half-sister’s care, Malcolm works on every possible opportunity that comes his way. As a result, there were several odd jobs on railroads, restaurants, bars, shoeshine stands, and jewelry stores.

He even ran with the courts, including breaking, entering, and possessing firearms. Yet, despite all these misguided fortunes in Malcolm’s life, he made the best of his jail time by reading and devouring books at the prison library. Malcolm’s desire to read and learn as much as possible during his time in jail was his way of making up for the education he missed when he dropped out of high school. 

Malcolm’s ability to inspire Nation of Islan (NOI) members and nonmembers earned him the first minister to various temples, including the highest appointment as the Chief Minister of Harlem’s Temple 7, appointed by Elijah Muhammad, the founder of NOI, in 1961. Malcolm believes in the empowerment of black people. He thought black people should create their power, structure, and wealth and dismissed the then-dominant integration and racial acceptance ideas.   Malcolm also believed strongly in the notion of self-defense as an alternative to nonviolent resistance.  He was extremely vocal on certain subjects that he held dearly. 

As we commemorate the auspices of International Orphan Day, the Foundation would like to pay tribute to Malcolm X.  He grew up as an orphan and later became one of the prolific civil leaders of our times.  Despite the distressed and turbulent environment endured by Malcolm X, he didn’t stop pursuing his agendas and sharing knowledge with everyone. He lived by his words and integrity, one of the three Mary K. Yap Foundation’s core pillars. He didn’t let complications stop him from accomplishing his personal goals and motives. With his courage and determination, he has achieved all these things.

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By admin
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CORPORATE NEWS
March 5, 2019

Movie for Charity

The program “Movie for Charity” net proceeds will benefit the Myanmar orphan community’s advancement.

As part of the Mary K. Yap Foundations’ extended effort to produce new and vibrant fundraising activities, Mary K. Yap Foundation is working on the “Movie for Charity” program, which is in partnership with Mandalay Productions LLC for the first-ever feature film. 

It gives our Board a tremendous appreciation to work closely with a creative film and video production company based in the US and Myanmar to deliver and produce unrivaled films based on their commitment to maintaining and providing the best international filmmaking practices. 

The “Myittar” film will blend well-known artists from Myanmar and individual Burmese American acting community stars.  Mandalay productions are the sole financial partner and the producer of the First Burmese and American feature film ever to be filmed in the United States and Myanmar (Burma).  Our Foundation takes enormous pride in promoting our worldwide non-profit initiative to promote the “Movie-for-Charity” project affiliated with Mandalay Productions LLC.  

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By admin
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CORPORATE NEWS
March 2, 2019

Music for Charity

As part of the foundation’s ongoing efforts to transform the lives of Myanmar Orphans, Mary K. Yap Foundation organized and launched a “Music for Charity” fundraising campaign from 2001 until this day (pre-2020 pandemic), where the foundation offers a free show for everyone to enjoy. Mary K. Yap Foundation rents a theater and convention room yearly for the “Music for Charity” campaign.

The community of passionate volunteers and multiple entertainment contributors sing their favorite traditional Myanmar songs and dance along with them.

To collect charitable funds for the Myanmar orphans, Mary K. Yap Foundation distributes coupons wherein that friends and families from the community will sell to their networks which they can use to purchase traditional Burmese foods prepared and sold by some contributors. In addition, some donors donate food at the event. Financial support and donations are also generously welcome at the Music for Charity event.

 

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The Guests, donors, partners, volunteers, and family members enjoy the performances each year. These are all the efforts made by the staff, volunteers, and the community to help and transform the lives of Myanmar orphans. To show transparency in the donation amount collected, Mary K. Yap Foundation published a financial clearance containing the previous year’s money for everyone to know how much money had been collected and how much money had been donated to Myanmar Orphans.

The foundation desires to make awareness of the everyday need of Orphaned Children.  As more people become aware of the event, more donors and funds are available to achieve the foundation’s mission to empower Orphaned children throughout Myanmar. Mary K. Yap Foundation believes that a bit of effort goes a long way; thus, they encourage everybody to donate or volunteer their time to support the future generation of needy children. 

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By admin
CAMPAIGN HIGHLIGHTS 6
CAMPAIGN STANDOUTS
August 2, 2018

H.S.Diploma: High School Diploma for Orphans

Together with our educational partners, Mary K. Yap Foundation organized a H.S.Diploma: High School Diploma program for Orphans delivers innovative opportunities to every orphaned student from Grade 8 (age 14) to Grade 10 (age 16).

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This program commits to supporting financial assistance to academically inspired orphaned children. In addition, it aims to bring the best attention to those talented orphans going through their last three years of high school curriculum studies in Myanmar.

The H.S.Diploma extends children proper guidance, training, and after-school tuition classes, molding them into better individuals.  The increased accessibility to educational support will provide the opportunity to advance academically and socially during the last three high school years (Grades 8 to 10).  This extra attention will accelerate the requirements needed to keep up with their studies so that they have higher chances of graduating from High School

Grade 10th is the key to opening every opportunity. Mary K. Yap Foundation takes care of all educational support so that the children can concentrate on their studies, pass the exam and be ready to face the university.

The success of the “H.S.Diploma” program will depend on the close partnership between the participating orphanage, the selected orphan students, and the Foundation team. Regular progress reports to keep track of the student’s performances are also available for those participating sponsors and donors who would like to monitor the success.

Please email us at info@marykyapfoundation.org if you would like to recommend an orphanage or an orphan student who can benefit from the H.S.Diploma Program.

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By admin