Father Ray's Sponsor a Child Foundation
Father Ray's Sponsor a Child Foundation (FRSAC) is a not for profit 501(c)(3) registered United States charity which focus on assisting needy children primarily in Thailand and also in the United States.
History
The Father Ray Sponsor a Child Foundation (FRSAC) was started in memory of Father Ray Brennan who worked for nearly 40 years in and around the town of Pattaya Thailand until his death in 2003. Ray initially established an orphanage there because one day he found an abandoned baby on the rectory doorstep. He eventually established a multitude of projects which are fully documented in the article about the Father Ray Foundation. However US Residents who supported the various projects found that they were unable to make tax deductible contributions directly to Fr Ray and his projects. When Ray died, Ron Small from the United States formed the Father Ray's Sponsor a Child Foundation to support the projects that Ray initiated plus many others. The US foundation permits US contributors to deduct their contributions. The foundation is an IRS approved 501c(3) charity incorporated in the state of New Jersey. Mr. Small who operates the foundation has spent much time in Thailand assisting the various projects there and overseeing the efficient use of funds collected in the US in support of the projects.
Operations
Father Ray's Sponsor a Child Foundation focuses on supporting disadvantaged and vulnerable children across Thailand. It helps provide full care, including accommodation, education and medical care to over 850 children. It also helps support health and nutrition projects to over 1500 children.
The charity helps support a range of projects across Thailand run by its partner organizations, the Father Ray Foundation in Pattaya, Thailand and the Thai Children's Trust in London. In addition, the foundation provides support via the Thai Children's Trust to many other projects including the Camillian Center, the Duang Prateep Foundation, the Good Shepherd Sisters and the Diocese of Chanthaburi.
In the United States, FRSAC supports a program called "Dinner with Santa"
Website
Dinner with Santa Program
The "Dinner with Santa" program works in cooperation with participating public elementary schools to provide a happy Christmas to children selected by the school district as deserving aid during the holiday season. It works as follows:
- An elementary school makes the decision to participate in the program, applies to the Foundation and becomes a "Dinner with Santa" participant
- The school determines which families with a child at the school may be in need of special assistance at Christmas. They contact the child's parents and determine if the parents want their child to receive the benefits of the program.
- If so the parents provide a list of both clothing and other necessaries plus toy suggestions for their child.
- About three weeks prior to Christmas, the school provides the Foundation with the number of children to attend along with the wish list for each child, the child's age and first name.
- The Foundation purchases the items on the wish list, each item is gift wrapped and a gift tag affixed to each package.
- The children and their parents are invited to a pre-Christmas dinner at a local restaurant.
- Everyone enjoys the festive dinner and then as dessert is being served, Santa and Mrs. Claus make an appearance.
- Santa distributes the gifts to each child.
- The Foundation picks up the all the expenses, purchases and wraps the gifts. The participating school supplies Santa, Mrs Claus, handles restaurant arrangements and sends a representative to the dinner.
- View a typical "Dinner with Santa" by clicking this reference.