ZELIENOPLE — Bill and Susie Antolec are former Zelienople residents who have found both a new career and a new home in Thailand.

The couple operate a foundation in Chiang Rai, Thailand, called Shoulder to Shoulder which assists high school and university students with housing and tuition through funds raised in the United States.

Currently they have eight female students and eight male students from poor ethnic groups that live in the mountains around the city living with them in their ministry center.

Right now, the Antolecs are back in the United States to see friends and family before returning to Thailand Dec. 5.

Bill Antolec, 70, said, “We are fundraising and connecting with our (grown) kids and connecting with friends.”

They brought one of their students, Jaruwan Chaemue, 28, who recently graduated as a registered nurse and works at a Chiang Rai hospital, along for her first trip to the United States.

Before moving to Thailand nine years ago, the Antolecs lived in Zelienople.

Susie Antolec, 66, said, “I worked at the Leopold Co. in Zelienople. They make water-purification equipment. I worked there for 29 years.''

Her husband said, “I worked at home most of that time as the Acorn Consulting Group. I worked out of the house and traveled.”

They both began working for North Way Christian Community Church in Wexford, a nondenominational church with multiple sites in the Pittsburgh area.

And they began making mission trips to Thailand in 2003.

Bill Antolec said, “We started traveling to Thailand in 2003. We began traveling every year, taking teams with us and connecting with the people in Chiang Rai.”

Chiang Rai is the northernmost province of Thailand, bordering on Burma and Laos. The capital city is also named Chiang Rai.

Bill Antolec said, “We are in an area known as Golden Triangle, nicknamed for the golden poppy fields which becomes heroin. They have been 95 percent eradicated in Thailand, but they are still active in Burma and Laos.”

Before moving, the Antolecs set up a charity called Acorns2Oaks Inc.

“We have the nonprofit organized with the Thai government. We work under the social welfare department of the Thai government,” Bill Antolec said.

Living in two houses built in 2015 with the Antolecs, the 16 students go to either high school or college.

The Antolecs said education is the only way their students can escape the poverty their families have endured for generations and the prejudice they, as members of minority ethnic groups, encounter in Thai society.

Without education, they could fall into the hands of human traffickers, Bill Antolec said.

“It's because parents want better lives for their kids. Often people from Bangkok will visit and say, 'Let me take your children to city. They will get an education and good jobs, then they can send money to you.' Children have to take care of their parents because there is no elder care in Thailand.

“But they put them to work in brothels, both boys and girls,” he said.

Since the students live with them, the Antolecs also try to mentor them in life skills.

Bill Antolec said, “The children are at school all day. We interact with them when they come home, play games and help with homework.”

“We have a family dinner every Wednesday night and community time together, Bible study and worship time. We are a Christian house,” he said.

“The children lead the worship part of it, playing instruments. We also are trying to teach kids how to lead, as well as encourage them to teach Bible study to the other kids. The next phase is they will go back to their people and share their faith,” he said.

Susie Antolec said they expect to live the rest of their lives in Thailand.

“We love our kids and we love Thailand. We don't own anything in the United States. We come here to visit, but Thailand is our home,” she said.

Her husband, who was ordained in the North Way Community Church in 2008, said, “Living on the other side of the world wasn't on either of our radar. It just kind of evolved. My plan is to die there and be buried there.”

But for now, the Antolecs are visiting their two biological children, experiencing culture shock at the changes from their last visit (Bill Antolec said, “We are suffering sticker shock. Prices are so much higher than we are used to paying for things.”) and seeking funds to keep their center going.

“Mostly we are looking for sponsorships for our kids, looking for people to help finance with those kids, connect with them on Facebook, send birthday cards and messages,” said Bill Antolec.

“The majority of our support comes from individuals,” he said. “They can go to acorn2oaks.org. We have an Acorns2oaks.org website. We are on Facebook: Shouldertoshoulderthailand.”

Susie Antolec said because they kept their same telephone number they had in Zelienople — 724-452-5814 — in Thailand, people can call for information.

“Because of the 12-hour time difference, don't call in the middle of the day,” she warned. “Call when it's either 8 a.m. or 8 p.m. in Pennsylvania.”