Cindy Burbridge and her fellow
catwalk models.
Derek Franklin & Warunya Thongrod
The award winning Pattaya Marching Band, crowned world champions
earlier this year in Germany, performed at Central Festival Beach Road on
the afternoon of Sunday 8th December to open the final commemorative event
of the 10th anniversary of the passing of Father Ray Brennan.
Their performance was the first of many that entertained a large crowd of
local Thais, ex-pats and foreign tourists. Pattaya Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome
officially opened the event and other dignitaries attending included local
MP Poramet Ngampichet, and Nongprue Mayor Mai Chaiyanit.
Rev. Raymond Brennan died Aug. 16, 2003 and his namesake foundation has
spent four months marking the 10-year anniversary of his passing.
Nongprue Mayor Mai Chaiyanit
helps select the tickets in the lucky draw.
Former Miss Thailand World, local celebrity and
supermodel, Cindy Burbridge Bishop, together with a host of Thailand’s most
famous models, took to the catwalk to show the t-shirts they had designed,
many of which were signed by Thai celebrities, including Tata Young, Yaya
Ying, Ae Sasikan and Cindy Burbridge Bishop, and which were auctioned off to
raise money for the Father Ray Foundation. Each model was accompanied by the
children and students from the Foundation, and the children proved to be
bigger stars than the models. The auction alone raised 71,300 baht.
Food was provided by the Chefs Association of Pattaya, the children of the
Father Ray Foundation performed together a recently written song in
remembrance of Father Ray and there was an art exhibition featuring
portraits of Father Ray.
However, the highlight of the evening was when Poramet selected the winning
ticket in the lucky draw, and it was Bangkok resident Phanita Tujinda who
won a brand new Nissan March, though there were more than one hundred prizes
to be won, including jewelry, bicycles and electrical appliances.
The children and students of the
Father Ray Foundation perform together for the very first time.
Apart from having a lot of fun there was a serious side
to the evening. The aim of the event was to remember Father Ray but also to
raise funds to help the children Father Ray never had time to help in his
lifetime, the children of Pattaya who are living with special needs.
In the early half of 2014 construction will start on the Father Ray Center
for Children with Special Needs, and while the fundraising campaign has
raised a large amount of money there is still a long way to go.
More information can be found at www.fr-ray.org or email
[email protected]
The children with special needs
once again entertained the crowd.
