Dear Colleagues of ARC Thailand,
Chuck Schumacher joined the American Refugee Committee Program in Thailand in 1996. 2016 marks the milestone of Chuck having completed 20 years of service with ARC. Over those two decades Chuck has been witness to the creation of the temporary shelters and their closures, relocations and consolidation along the Thai – Myanmar border. Under Chuck’s leadership ARC has established a lasting legacy for the development of programs that were accountable first and foremost to the displaced persons whose care and protection was entrusted with ARC. Our primary donor, the U.S. Dept. of State Bureau for Population, Refugees and Migration (BPRM), as well as the many fellows, interns, volunteers and special delegations visiting from the USA all consistently commented on ARC’s quality of programs, carefulness with maximizing all available resources and the active participation of the many refugee committees with whom we worked closely. Chuck as our Field Coordinator has become a known and reliable presence in Tak and other Provinces along the border where he took the initiative in creating a meeting mechanism to improve coordination between NGOs/UNHCR and camp committees for better outcomes of refugees.
While Chuck has noted in recent years that he now looks forward to pursuing other interests, we always managed to persuade Chuck to stay with ARC a bit longer. Now, Chuck, an avid outdoors man and sailor, has signaled his intent to transition from ARC allowing him to have more time to pursue his many other passions in life. Many of you may be aware that following Chuck’s transition from ARC (effective in July), Chuck has chosen to adopt Thailand as his home and thus we will have an opportunity to meet him in the future.
Please join me in wishing Chuck all the best when he transitions this July. Our heartfelt appreciation and thanks to you Chuck for all of your contributions, service and perseverance through an incredible 20 years of providing support and comfort to so many persons whose lives were uplifted by ARC during their stay in the Kingdom of Thailand.
With Warm Wishes,
David and ARC Thailand Team