On July 11th, the creative crowdfunding platform Greenlit will host a special, one-night online screening for Riverman Management’s documentary film The GoOdfather, with all proceeds going to charity. The GoOdFather tells the story of Father Joe Maier, C.Ss.R., and his efforts to open up a school in Klong Toey, Bangkok’s largest slum community. Ticket sales will go directly to The Mercy Centre, providing critical funds for the children of Klong Toey.
Filmed by Riverman founders Dave McLean and Alex Weston, the documentary is driven by lively interviews with Father Joe, who was sent to Thailand by the Catholic Church in 1972. Father Joe’s stories, told with constant humility, gratitude and humor, provide an unflinchingly forthright account of how his organization has battled issues related to drugs, human trafficking, child abuse, prostitution, HIV/AIDS and homelessness.
Father Joe is using the film to ask for support in his organization’s fight against hunger in Klong Toey caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. A donation of £10 comes with a ticket to the screening, but gifts of any amount over £1 are accepted. Other suggested pledges range from £35 to pay for 100 school meals to a £500 donation that will sponsor one child for an entire school year. The fundraising goal is currently £15,000. All donations can be made via The GoOdFather’s page on Greenlit.
About the Human Development Foundation – Mercy Centre
Since its founding in 1972, the HDF has served some of Klong Toey’s most vulnerable people through a myriad of programs, most notably the 23 Mercy Kindergartens from which over 60,000 children have graduated. The HDF also runs the Janusz Korczak School for older undocumented students unable to attend government school and students with special needs.
The HDF manages temporary schools at construction camp sites in Bangkok, and five shelters housing approximately 140 children—over a third of whom are living with HIV/AIDS. Other notable programs include the Anti-Trafficking and Legal Aid Centre for children established in 2000, the construction, renovation or repair of over 10,000 homes in Bangkok slum communities, and a credit union that helps Klong Toey women take control of their personal and family finances.
The Mercy Centre has been visited by dignitaries from around the world, and Father Joe has received numerous awards for his work—including a lifetime achievement award from Her Majesty the Queen of Thailand. In 2004, he was profiled by PBS for Religion & Ethics Newsweekly.
