31May2025

Making a Difference Building Dreams Creating Impact Saving Lives

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Contacts

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

Tag: #childwelfare

7. Landing a hand
CORPORATE NEWS

Lending a Hand: Volunteers in Action

The “Lending a Hand” program is about making a difference for inspired young adults, university students, and citizens from all corners of the world to participate in the life-enriching volunteer opportunities sponsored and organized by the Mary K. Yap Foundation.

The program brings enthusiastic volunteers on short-term 3 to 6-month assignments covering work relating to Event Support, Donor Relations, Office and Admin tasks, and Virtual Support. The selected volunteer will work with our Management and Ambassadors to conduct and implement innovative development programs for the orphanage communities throughout Myanmar. Among other uplifting engagements, our team of volunteers worked to develop a plan for nutrition, diet, agricultural techniques, livestock growing, and water treatment to promote sustainability for orphan organizations. The team will be assigned to orphanages throughout Myanmar for a fixed period according to our project requirements. In addition, there will be many engaging field activities that include educational and health development programs for helping and inspiring underserved youths.

The mission of the Mary K. Yap Foundation and our volunteers is to develop and build these orphanages so that they have the necessary tools to support the needs of vulnerable children. We collaborate with exceptional individuals with a profound sense of social responsibility who are passionate about volunteering to empower children. Volunteers will gain a sense of pride by engaging with and advancing children who rely heavily on these orphaned centers for their day-to-day needs. Every minute of your time with us supports the everyday needs of neglected orphan communities in Myanmar.

At the end of their assignment, the participating volunteers will receive a special award of gratitude from the Mary K. Yap Foundation as a token of appreciation for bringing that extra care to orphans.

In addition, the Foundation will honor these exceptional individuals at one of our fundraising dinner events as a recipient of the Mary K. Yap Foundation’s global citizen award for their generous efforts. 

Enter here to sign up on your interest.

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COMMENTARIES

Most Vulnerable Children: Orphans

“Orphans are children who depend on their strength and ability to learn and succeed without the support of their mothers and fathers. They are the ones who have lost one or both parents to age, sickness, or violence or simply by just abandoning them.”

– Dr. John Palmer (Chairman of the Mary K. Yap Foundation)

Sadly, there is an increasing number of orphans. These orphaned children who live without proper care and guidance can result in suffering and the ultimate tragedy of death; the children that survive often do so in ways that demean and criminalize themselves and bring suffering to others.  We cannot just imagine how a child without proper care is being used in different personal and greedy matters, such as child labor bosses, terrorists, rebel armies with child soldiers, child traffickers, and even less than good-willed relatives who want a personal slave. 

The result is heartbreaking as some orphan children will die of starvation and issues related to malnutrition, die from preventable diseases, die at the hands of others, spend much of their life in jail, and some will harm others and negatively impact the world. 

As we commemorate International Orphan Day, we want to share a message that orphan children do not deserve to live a life of abandonment and neglect, especially a child who is so young, innocent, and pure. They deserve to be treated with love, care, and proper guidance as these orphaned children are the strongest people in the world by overcoming their history and facing the future with smiles. They are children who still have a bright future despite having no immediate family besides them upon growing up and ending up being homeless. 

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INDIVIDUAL SPOTLIGHT

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.

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.