Orillia pastor, church helping orphans worldwide

Orillia pastor Len Crow has travelled North America on horseback, raising money to help children around the world. The latest project is an orphanage in Cambodia, which is an extension of the North Country Baptist Church in Orillia, where Crow is pastor.
Nathan Taylor

By Nathan Taylor

Len Crow is a cowboy with a cause.

The Orillia pastor has helped raise tens of thousands of dollars over the past decade riding horseback around North America. His latest efforts, with the help of his congregation at North Country Baptist Church, allowed him to open the North Country Baptist Children's Home in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Crow and two friends visited the country, as well as Thailand and Vietnam, in February 2006. While he noticed the deplorable levels of poverty and large numbers of orphaned children in each country, Cambodia "is probably the worst in the world," he said.

He felt a calling and, as a result, the North Country Baptist Children's Home was built. With the capacity to hold 100 children, the orphanage currently houses 16, providinig extensive services that will soon include onsite education.

With the help of 25 volunteers and 35 paid Cambodian workers, construction began in February 2007. In just three weeks, 70,000 bricks and 3,000 square feet of concrete flooring were laid and a roof and septic system were installed.

The team worked "sunup to sundown, pretty well every day," Crow said.

The orphanage is officially an extension of the North Country Baptist Church. Many of its members make monthly contributions toward the operation.

Crow raises money through his Ride for Missions program, a pony express-style adventure that has taken him from Alaska to Texas and Emerson, Man., to Calgary, Alta. He even retraced the original pony express route in Utah in 1998 and 2002.

"I look at the plight of children in these countries. We can't help them all, but we can help some," Crow said. "It brings me a great deal of joy and satisfaction that we're able to help a few."

Donations are appreciated, but what's most needed is for people to sponsor children. To find out more about the orphanage and Crow's other ventures, as well as how to help out, visit www.canadianponyexpress.com or call the church at 329-1638.