Thanks to your support, in the past two months, we were able to put over 1,000 USD back into our local community. Boom and I are always teaching the kids the importance of paying it forward, and the best way to teach them is to lead by example.
We continued our on-going support of Bia's great Aunt, Yaa Ong. Throughout September and October, we helped her with medicine, groceries, and cash totalling nearly 200 USD. She gets $20 per month from the government for old age and an additional $25 for disability. She does her best to save that money and tries to live off of the money she makes from her vegetable garden and what we give her.
Despite being completely bent over, Yaa Ong has a small vegetable garden that she tends to daily. As she is no longer able to get to the market, she instead sits outside a local mom & pop shop selling her haul. She sells her vegetables for 15 cents a bunch.
Fresh off her win at UFC Fight Island 4, Loma Lookboonmee invited us to make merit at an elderly care home in Buriram. We confirmed 65 USD for the groceries that Loma went out and bought. Before this, we helped Loma get through her fight camp with 200 USD worth of books, vitamins, and protein. Although Loma is now a fighter in the UFC, she takes care of her entire family. Her mom used to work at a local sewing factory, but after breaking her wrist from slipping in the bathroom, she's been out of work for nearly the entire year. The bone didn't heal correctly, and it looks like she won't ever be able to go back to work again. Her dad is a farmer and tries to break even with his gym, but due to COVID, he hasn't been able to make ends meet for the past eight months.
In addition to that, we sent 200 USD to Sitmonchai Gym in Kanchanaburi, helped a few fighters in need with 100 USD, contributed 100 USD to help rent a van to send local gym owners to the Muay Thai protests in Bangkok, sent 100 USD to Sor. Puangthong gym in Buriram. We also helped our former student Ann out with 50 USD and continued our support of Bpaet's aunt, Yaa Dee, with 75 USD.
