Trailblazer Foundation's Inaugural Annual Raffle

Help Us Purchase Twenty-Five Sewing Machines for Women in Rural Cambodia

Your Contribution Could Be Matched Dollar-For-Dollar
Introducing Our First Ever Annual Raffle


Hello Trailblazer Supporters,
 
Welcome to Trailblazer's first ever raffle. This is an opportunity for you to possibly win a product that is made in, or focused on, Cambodia, while at the same time supporting Trailblazer's work. 
All proceeds from this raffle will go toward the purchase of twenty-five sewing machines, which Trailblazer will give to graduates of a five-and-a-half month sewing training for local women. This project is part of Trailblazer's  Economic Development program .
Of the fourteen items we have in our inaugural raffle, six items are products I will be picking up during my upcoming trip to visit our field team in Cambodia. I leave tomorrow for Siem Reap. Another four items are products I collected during previous trips to Cambodia. The final  four items come from individuals or businesses who wanted to support our inaugural raffle. 
Our goal for this raffle is to raise $5,000, which will cover the purchase of twenty-five sewing machines. To that end, we have already had one company make a noteworthy financial commitment. Friendly Planet Travel, which hosts upscale journeys to destinations around the globe (including Siem Reap and Angkor Wat), has committed $2,500 to this campaign.
As Friendly Planet Travel has done with Trailblazer in the past, they will offer their contribution as a dollar-for-dollar match to the first $2,500 in financial contributions Trailblazer receives through this raffle. So, please know that if you purchase your raffle ticket(s) early, your contribution will be matched by Friendly Planet Travel.
We are excited to try this new idea for simultaneously sharing some of Cambodia's culture, while raising funds that will support some of its poorest people. The more you donate now, the better your chances of winning one of our raffle items, and the more you will be helping create future economic opportunities for women in rural Cambodia. 
We hope that you will be inspired by our effort to raise money in this unique way. 
Kind Regards,

Chris Coats













How The Raffle Works.....

It is pretty easy. 

If you get inspired by the raffle items, and you want to support Trailblazer's efforts to provide rural Cambodian women with a sewing machine so they can make a living at home, then you can simply go to the online link above or below (they are the same), or send a check to the mailing address below, to purchase as many tickets as you wish.
 
Online link to purchase raffle tickets with a credit card :
 
Mailing address for sending checks :
Trailblazer Foundation
PO Box 271767
Fort Collins, CO 80527
(check payable to Trailblazer Foundation)
 
Raffle tickets are $5 each, or six for $25 (12 for $50, etc.). If you make a contribution of more than $25, we will calculate how many raffle tickets you have purchased. We will then fill out that many tickets with your name, and enter them into the drawing.
 
Trailblazer's Board of Directors will choose the winners during our annual Board retreat, to be held October 21st and 22nd. We will mail each raffle item to its respective winner that next week.

Raffle Items

Here are items from Cambodia that Chris Coats, Trailblazer's co-founder/executive director, will either purchase during her upcoming trip to Cambodia, or has previously purchased in Cambodia. Some of these products are made by women working at the Women's Development Center outside of Siem Reap City. Some are sold in markets in Siem Reap. We have noted the origin of each item.


Item #1

A woven cotton scarf, made on a loom by women working at the Women's Development Center.  Chris Coats  will hand pick the scarf at the Center's gift shop, during her upcoming trip to Cambodia.

The scarf's color pattern may be slightly different than shown here, while its size will be approximately 24 inches wide by 60 inches long (not including the fringe). 

Value: U.S. $30 (a pprox., purchased in Cambodia).




Item #2

A scarf made of fine, lightweight silk, woven on a loom by women working at the Women's Development Center. Chris Coats will hand pick the scarf at the Center's gift shop, during her upcoming trip to Cambodia.

The scarf's color pattern may be slightly different than shown here, while its size will be approximately 20 inches wide by 60 inches long (not including the fringe). 

Value: U.S. $30 (a pprox., purchased in Cambodia).





Item #3

A scarf made of heavier silk, woven on a loom by women working at the Women's Development Center. Chris Coats will hand pick the scarf at the Center's gift shop, during her upcoming trip to Cambodia.

The scarf's color pattern may be slightly different than shown here, while its size will be approximately 20 inches wide by 60 inches long (not including the fringe). 

Value: U.S. $30 (a pprox., purchased in Cambodia).




Item #4

A darker colored blanket, made of cotton, woven on a loom by women working at the Women's Development Center. Chris Coats will hand pick the blanket at the Center's gift shop, during her upcoming trip to Cambodia.

The blanket's color pattern may be slightly different than shown here, while its size will be approximately 42 inches wide by 100 inches long (not including the fringe). 

Value: U.S. $60 (a pprox., purchased in Cambodia).




Item #5

A light colored blanket, made of cotton, woven on a loom by women working at the Women's Development Center. Chris Coats will hand pick the blanket at the Center's gift shop, during her upcoming trip to Cambodia.

The blanket's color pattern may be slightly different than shown here, while its size will be approximately 42 inches wide by 100 inches long (not including the fringe). 

Value: U.S. $60 (a pprox., purchased in Cambodia).




Item #6

A hand bag, made of cotton fabric and woven reeds, with dimensions approximately 13 inches wide x 9 inches tall x 3.5 inches deepThe bag's color pattern may be slightly different than shown here.

Chris Coats will purchase a hand bag similar to this at either the Women's Development Center or the market in Siem Reap. 

Value: U.S. $45 (a pprox., purchased in Cambodia).




Item #7

A floral patterned hand bag, made of cotton fabric, with dimensions approximately 14 inches wide x 9 inches tall x 3.5 inches deepThe bag's color pattern may be slightly different than shown here.

Chris Coats will purchase a hand bag similar to this at either the Women's Development Center or the market in Siem Reap. 

Value: U.S. $45 (a pprox., purchased in Cambodia).





Item #8

Two pillow cases, with zippers, made of silk or satin, with Dancing Apsara motif on one side and the solid color on the other side. Each pillow case is 17 inches x 17 inches.

Chris Coats personally purchased these pillow cases in the market in Siem Reap during a previous trip to Cambodia. 

Value: U.S. $25 (a pprox., purchased in Cambodia).






Item #9

A rubbing with red pigment of a Apsara dancer from the Angkor Wat temple, part of the  Angkor Archeological Park. Size is approximately  13.5 inches x 24.5  inches. 

This is a rubbing that Chris Coats purchased in 2003, during one of her first trips to Cambodia, when the concept of Trailblazer was being formed in her mind. This type of rubbing of temples in Angkor Archeological Park is no longer allowed.

Value: U.S. $40 (a pprox., purchased in Cambodia).




Item #10

Painting on canvas, without frame, of the faces at Bayon Temple in Angkor Archeological Park. Size is approximately  30 x 56 inches. Chris Coats will hand pick the painting during her trip to Cambodia.

Value: U.S. $200 (approx., purchased in Cambodia).

Raffle Items... con't

Here are items from Cambodia, donated to Trailblazer for our raffle by other Cambodia-based organizations. We are very grateful for their support, and encourage you to visit their websites (links provided below).


Item #11

This is a full-size winter white silk pashmina scarf,  size will be approximately 17.5 inches wide by 74 inches long (not including the fringe).

This scarf has been donated by Freedom's Promise, a faith-based nonprofit organization that partners with indigenous Cambodian groups to prevent human trafficking and child exploitation. Their scarves are made by Cambodian women artisans, mostly in rural communities, strategically located in close proximity to the Thailand border. You can visit Freedom's Promise's website at this link .

Value: U.S. $60.



Item #12

This is a "bas-relief" depicting a graceful Apsara, or heavenly nymph, who is dancing. A bas-relief is a sculpture in relief which is carved on a flat surface, mainly in sandstone.  This was inspired by images on the walls of the Angkor Wat temple. The bas-relief's dimensions are 6 inches by 6 inches , and comes mounted on a wooden stand.

Artisans Angkor was founded on the belief that it is possible to revive ancient Khmer arts and crafts while improving the lives of thousands of people living in rural Cambodia. You can visit Artisans Angkor's website at this link.

Value: U.S. $60.

Raffle Items... con't

Here are items that either relate to Cambodia, or were donated to Trailblazer for our raffle by artists interested in Cambodia. We are very grateful for their support, and encourage you to visit their websites (links provided below).


Item #13

This  17.5 inch x 13.5 inch artwork was commissioned for Trailblazer by a five year old Australian, named Cassie Gee. Cassie is a creative girl who paints with a fork or skewer and her hands to create her swirl art. 

We learned of Cassie through an article that highlighted how she had donated the proceeds from some of her art to an organization committed to breaking the cycle of poverty throughout the world. We thought she might be interested in Trailblazer, and indeed she was. You can learn more about this creative and charitable girl at her website .

Value: U.S. $85.




Item #14

This book,  Cambodia: A Journey through the Land of the Khmer , was donated by its photographer, Kraig Lieb. Kraig's photos, and the accompanying text, invites you into Cambodia, by  throwing the doors to this small Southeast Asian kingdom wide open. Both visitors and armchair travelers will be intrigued by this tour through Cambodia's history and landscape.  

Based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Kraig Lieb is a photographer for Lonely Planet Publications, the well-known series of world-wide travel guides. You can learn more about Kraig's work at this website  .

Value: U.S. $36.

Trailblazer Foundation  | PO Box 271767, Fort Collins, CO 80527 | 307-399-2192 
info@thetrailblazerfoundation.org | www.thetrailblazerfoundation.org
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