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News from the Music Department at St Andrews International School
Some of the year 8 girls
performing one of their songs.
Mario Maxwell Müller (Head of Music)
The month of May has certainly been a time to reflect on our
involvement with community projects. One the initiatives the Music
Department at St. Andrews International School, Green Valley Campus are
always to try and maintain good relations with the Father Ray Foundation.
One fine Sunday afternoon a group of students went to perform at ‘Picnic at
the Park’ event organized by Regents International School. The audience had
the opportunity to hear some of the music department’s best students perform
including Gridj on the saxophone, The Junior Secondary Rock Band and some of
the other students performing within their own formed music groups from Year
8 - 11.
Gridj in Year 7 playing on his
saxophone!
The Secondary Junior Rock
Band.
Some of the families enjoying
the concert.
American college student returns
with more help for Ban Jing Jai
Lisa Koenig (front, right) presents
250,000 baht raised through her “Thai Your Shoes” organization to Ban Jing Jai.
Elfi Seitz
An American university student humbled by a 2009 visit to Pattaya’s Ban Jing
Jai orphanage again has returned to Thailand with even a larger donation raised
through fundraising efforts in the U.S.
Now 22, Lisa Koenig of Palatine, Ill. presented Ban Jing Jai Manager Piangta
Chumnoi and about 80 happy children with 250,000 baht May 28. The donations were
raised through her “Thai Your Shoes” organization, which she started in high
school as a simple shoe drive and quickly grew into something much larger.
“It is so beautiful to see the eyes of the children come alive when you are nice
to them, when you tend to them or bring them some little presents,” she said.
“This home gives children what every child all over the world needs: a place
where they belong.”
Koenig wrote that she first visited Ban Jing Jai while visiting her father, who
lives in Pattaya. He and his Thai wife took her to visit the orphanage where she
was overwhelmed by what she saw and had her father buy 15 pizzas for the kids.
She began the Thai Your Shoes club at her high school where students “adopted”
each of the children at Ban Jing Jai. A shoe drive led to larger projects,
culminating in the “Race for Sincere Hearts” in Nashville Tennessee named for
the English translation of the orphanage’s name. The first 5 km race raised
$2,500 for the orphanage and other sponsors donated the clothing and for
shipping the goods to Thailand. Races and fund-raising has only increased since.
Piangta thanked Koenig for all of her efforts over the years.
“I am Christian and I believe that God helps those who ask him for help,” she
said. “Sometimes, when I run out of money and get the feeling that I cannot go
on anymore, I pray and all of a sudden - out of the blue - I receive some
donations and help. This is always like a true miracle for me.”
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Tree planting honours long-serving students
GIS Principal Dr Stuart Tasker
presents Hannah with a special plaque.
Words by Mark Beales
Photos by Ritche Guisona
Garden International School (GIS) has recognised the achievements and
dedication of two students who have both studied at GIS for more than ten years.
IB2 students Sandy and Hanna have both had trees planted in their honour in the
newly-created garden area near Primary. Hanna joined Garden in 2001 while Sandy
has been studying here since 1998. Both have now completed their IB examinations
and are looking forward to bright futures, thanks partly to the education they
were given at GIS.
GIS Principal Dr Stuart Tasker
presents Sandy with a special plaque.
Plaques are in place by the trees to tell everyone of their
long service to the school and framed pictures of the tree planting were given
to the pair at the recent IB Graduation Evening. Framed pictures of the pair are
on display in the Front Office.
Sandy, who is also a Formula 3 racing driver said, “It’s been enjoyable and I’ve
made a lot of really good friends. I have learned pretty much everything I know
from here.”
GIS is based in Ban Chang, near Pattaya. For more on the school, visit
www.gardenrayong.com.
Hanna and Sandy with their proud
parents at GIS.
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Girl Rising touches the heart of
The Regent’s School Pattaya community
Yaya introduces the film Girl Rising.
Alicia Warner
Less than two weeks before the centenary of suffragette Emily Davison,
The Regent’s School Pattaya hosted the first screening in Thailand outside
Bangkok of a new documentary film, Girl Rising, on Friday 24 May. A large
audience came together to support the film which depicts the necessity of girls’
rights to education worldwide.
The film was shown in the school’s Globe Theatre which housed over 300
personally invited guests. The event was organized by a group of students that
make up the Girl Up group, a global campaign supported by the United Nations
Foundation that unites over 300,000 students worldwide. They welcomed members of
the community, community partners and even Thai soap star, Yaya Urassaya
Sperbund.
Directed by Oscar-nominee Richard Robbins, Girl Rising tells the story of nine
young girls from nine different countries whose lives have been changed by the
power of education. Commenting on the night, members of the audience agreed that
the subject of the film was inspirational and highlighted the necessity for
change.
Yaya (centre) with the Regents’ Girl Up group.
Yaya Sperbund, returning for the first time as an alumnus of the school,
explained the importance of a correct mindset.
“If you have a good mindset it doesn’t matter if you’re a woman or a man. If
you’re determined to achieve whatever you want to achieve you can do it if you
believe in yourself.”
Several members of the Girl Up group agreed that it reinstated their reasons for
taking part in the global campaign in the first place and saw their mission
becoming clearer.
Poornima Athikari, current student and member of Girl Up club said, “Girls
should have the same chances as boys in this world because no one is worth less
than anyone else. [Each gender] shares the same potential to achieve the same
things - all they need is the same chances.”
The only male member of the club, Haroon Wahidi from Afghanistan, expressed how
he knows all too well what the girls in the film are going through.
“The film was a pretty true reflection of what happens normally back in
Afghanistan. Not necessarily in the city but in the provinces. It was really sad
to see but was clear that I can change, my son after me and the next generations
can all change through education.”
Bronwyn Carey and Kylie Grimmer from Women With a Mission, a Pattaya-based
charity dedicated to improving the lives of children living along the
Thailand/Myanmar border and families in the region of Chonburi, Thailand, both
left with the intention to organize a screening themselves to spread the message
even further.
“The message in [Girl Rising] should be taken to all young women and to all
schools to help them understand that there is so much in education and just what
they can achieve.”
Notes: The Girl Up Group is a branch of larger campaign of the United Nations
Foundation and was adopted by the school in 2013. Their slogan is ‘Uniting Girls
to Change the World’ and currently consists of over 300,000 members from across
the globe.
Women with a Mission is a charity dedicated to improving the lives of children
living along the Thailand/Myanmar border and families in the region of Chonburi,
Thailand.
Yaya Urassaya Sperbund was a student at The Regent’s School Pattaya from 1998 to
2009. She was one of the first students in the then very young school and saw it
go through its early growing stages. It was at The Regent’s School Pattaya that
she first studied drama.
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How you can Care for Kids in need
Jesters Care for Kids 2013, Sponsored by Glencore International and Canadian Jackalope Open
Jimmy Page displays his guitar, which was auctioned
off at last year’s Gala Party Night.
Lewis Underwood
We are now entering the intensive phase of our 16th year of caring for deprived
children, including those abandoned, orphaned, and/or handicapped.
We help them get access to safe shelter, education, as well as specialized
schooling and assistance for the disabled.
At this point, we are pleased to report that over 3.04 million baht in cash and
kind has already been raised this year. This is a great result and we would like
to thank those who responded early.
If you too would like to join us, there are several ways you can help care for
kids:
1. You can join our corporate and individual sponsorship program. This continues
to be the biggest source of our fund-raising. There are 6 levels: Diamond (Bt.
400,000), Platinum (Bt. 100,000), Gold (Bt. 50,000), Silver (Bt. 25,000), Bronze
(Bt. 10,000) and Pledge (less than Bt 10,000).
Please note that no donation is ever considered too small.
You can donate 3 ways:
· Electronically, through PayPal -
donation@care4kids .info
· Making a direct debit to ‘Fountain of Life Center’, KrungThai Bank, Pattaya
Klang Branch, account # 227-1-36586-4.
· Making a direct debit to ‘Good Shepherd Foundation’, Bangkok Bank, Muang
Pattaya Branch account # 484-0-68306-6.
2. You can also donate a grand raffle prize or auction item for our Gala Party
Night. We usually seek travel/hotel/restaurant vouchers, etc., for our GR draw,
and for our Auction, signed memorabilia, art objects, antiques, or anything that
might fetch a bid.
Update: For this year’s auction, Ross Halfin has signed some of his A3 photos,
including of Led Zeppelin (2007), Black Crowes with Jimmy Page (2011), Jeff
Beck, Joe Perry, Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield at the Cleveland Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame (2009) and more. Ross also donated a Kiss Poster from Sonic Boom
over Europe (2010) signed by the band.
Additionally, Niven Walters has also produced a replica of Jimmy Page’s ‘Dragon’
Telecaster with traveling case for our auction, as well as Mark Gorda, who has
given us some paintings and antiques from Myanmar. Please go to our site to make
a bid on any of these items.
Our top grand raffle prize this year is a Honda PCX 150 donated by the Jesters
MC and valued at 80,000 baht.
3. You can also donate by advertising in our new 48-page A4 yearbook, which will
be used for both events this year plus PR next year:
Black and white ads are 3500 baht for half-page and 6000 baht for full-page.
Colored ads are 5500 baht for half-page and 9500 baht for full-page. Inside
covers are 12,000 baht and two-page fold outs are 19,000 baht
Update: Both inside covers and one two-page fold out (front cover) are booked
already. Please remember that our major sponsors, Diamond (400 K baht) and
Platinum (100 K baht) get free colored full-page ads.
4. You can also attend our events! Our first one is the Children’s Fair on
Sunday, September 8th, at The Regent’s School Pattaya on Hwy 36 just off Hwy 7.
Admission to our Fair is 50 baht per person, while children under 12 are free.
Our second event, the Gala Party Night, is once again at the Amari Orchid
Pattaya, 13 days later, on Saturday, September 21st. Tickets are 2200 baht per
person for a place at a table of 10. Included in that price is an international
buffet, wine, beer and soft drinks.
Update: Due to the resounding success of our Gala Party Night for the last 2
years, we urge you to book early as there are only 25 tables with 10 places at
each.
5. You can also rent a stall at our Fair. All stalls are 1500 baht on the day
from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. As usual, school stalls are free. You can book stalls at
http://www.care4kids.info/events/childrens-fair.html
Update: Due to the new venue, we expect stalls to go quickly, so we advise to
book as soon as possible. In fact, to date half of the stalls have been reserved
already.
Please also note that we are asking stallholders to pay their rent in advance of
Fair day through our website. Please email us once you have remitted.
6. You can buy children’s raffle tickets at Fair or GR Tickets for Gala Party
Night.
* Children’s Raffle tickets are sold only at the Fair only on the day. One book
of 10 tickets is 200 baht, 3 books 500 baht and 7 books for 1000 baht. You must
be present to win.
* Grand Raffle tickets are sold from July through the evening of Gala Party
Night at 50 baht per ticket or 12 tickets (1 book) for 500 baht. You do not have
to be present to win.
7. You can also donate a case of canned beer, or 850 baht equivalent, to the
Jesters Beer Tent at the fair. Your donated beer will be sold at 50 baht per can
at the Fair, which increases the value of your original donation from 850 to
1200 baht. Beer sales typically cover the entire setup cost for the event. If
interested, please go to
http://www.care4kids.info/events/childrens-fair.html or email us.
8. You can also buy our new black event T-shirts courtesy of our Platinum
Sponsor, SINTO, from mid-July through our events while they last. Outlets TBA.
9. Display our Stickers, Flyers and/or Posters.
Update: Flyers and posters will come out in August, while stickers will be
available soon for your vehicles and shop windows.
Additional information regarding all of the above, plus continuous updates, are
available on our website. You can also visit us at:
www.facebook.com/jesterscare.forkids.
We sincerely thank you for your continuous generous support in helping the
children at risk in our community.
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