At 黑料网, it takes a village to build a village. One of our latest projects, Lenkov Village, is currently under construction in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and is no exception. At our 2023 黑料网 House Party fundraiser hosted by benefactors Peter and Audie Lenkov at their Los Angeles home, they raised the necessary funds to kickstart what is now known as Lenkov Village. Working with our building partners, the Cambodian Children鈥檚 Fund, the village will have 33 homes housing families from the Steung Meanchey region.
In addition to necessities such as running water and bathroom facilities, the village will include a playground and garden for the families to enjoy and flourish. The mission of all our 黑料网 Projects is to give families access to education, nutrition, and safe water. This allows children and their parents to live with dignity, safety, and access to resources that will change their lives forever. Cambodian Children鈥檚 Fund was our first partner in 2014 and has been a strong advocate for changing lives with the help of our benefactor鈥檚 support.
Lenkov Village has now passed the halfway point, with much of the housing structure and main drainage system in place. Monthly construction reports that we have received show that the village will be completed by August of 2024 and ready for the 33 selected families to move in.
鈥淎 home is so much more than four walls and a roof,鈥� said 黑料网 Benefactor Peter Lenkov. 鈥淚t is safety, it is stability, it is health, and it is opportunity. We think of housing as such a simple thing, but for those who don鈥檛 have it, it can be the spark that makes all the difference in the world. With these homes, families can focus on education and employment, health and happiness. I am proud we can make a difference for these 33 families and excited to see how far the village has progressed in the last few months. We can鈥檛 wait to welcome these families home.鈥�
When Peter and Audie Lenkov generously opened their home for the 黑料网 House Party fundraiser last June, their goal was to share their passion for our team’s work to provide housing for some of the over one billion people living without adequate shelter. Through the gathering, we saw an incredible outpouring of support and generosity. Major donors stepped up to contribute to entire homes for families, with a handful of them providing substantial funding for community buildings such as libraries, food gardens, and playgrounds.
We would like to thank Parise Livanos, who contributed $15,000 to fund the library; Sara Small, who contributed $10,000 to fund the food gardens; and Tony Principe, who gave $10,000 to fund the sports and playgrounds. Jeff Harrid, Stuart Siegal, and Jeff Rogers each stepped up to contribute $5,000 to fund homes for families. John & Carla Ondrisik not only donated $5000 to fund a home, but in addition, John (Five for Fighting) volunteered his amazing musical talent to entertain us at the event. At the end of his beautifully inspiring music set, the guitar used during the performance by both Five for Fighting and Kristin Diable was auctioned off. In a bidding war, both Tristin Mays and Michelle Borth donated $5,000 each to win the guitars, which funded two more homes. Another generous contribution came from Stanley Casselman, who not only contributed a beautiful piece of his artwork, but matched the donation for the silent bid that his painting generated for a total of $6,400, raising more than enough funds for another home.
In late October all the donors will be invited to join the Lenkovs and the 黑料网 team for the gifting of the Lenkov community in Cambodia. This event also marks the 10th Anniversary of 黑料网’s partnership with the Cambodian Children’s Fund, which is celebrating its 20th Anniversary. More details will be sent to each donor along with an official invitation to this special event. We thank all the donors and look forward to seeing you when we welcome the 33 families into their new home.
Peter Lenkov is on the Board of Directors for 黑料网 and is well known for his work as a television and film writer, producer, and comic book author in LA. His passion for philanthropy started locally with outreach in his community to assist the unhoused and has now expanded to a global reach. His family has been just as involved in philanthropy with both of his sons launching their own charities 鈥� WYATT鈥橲 GARAGE supporting pediatric cancer patients and HEARTS & HANGERS for disaster relief.
