Some years ago Mike Fox, traveling in Thailand, learned about the plight of Karen refugees fleeing political repression in Burma.
He was particularly moved by the plight of the children, many of them orphaned by years of violence in their country.
As a result, the successful Kansas City businessman made a decision to put some of his resources into raising awareness and funds for programs to help orphans. The Global Orphan Project was born.
Among the GOP's latest initiatives was a bike trip to earthquake-ravaged Haiti. Fox took 30 men to Haiti to ride bicycles through the country in hopes of educating them and inspiring them to become active in their own philanthropic endeavors.
Riders were also studying how indigenous groups took care of Haitian orphans, and how successful efforts might be applied in the U.S. to support foster kids.
The project has now spilled over into Kansas City.
A man named Tate Williams, who was among those traveling to Haiti, is working with Adopt KC, an offshoot of the Global Orphan Project.
The program seeks to transfer some of the tenants of orphan care that have worked well in Haiti to the hundreds of foster children in the Kansas/Missouri system.
The interview can be heard on KC Currents Sunday, October 28th at 5PM and when KC Currents is repeated on Monday the 29th at 8PM.
The Global Orphan Project will have a screening of documentaries about their work at the Nelson Atkins Gallery Saturday Evening at 7.
