Father Ray chief reviews
new programs started on his watch
Fr. Peter said he’s proud of a
number of projects, including the new equine rehabilitation program for the
Redemptorist Center for Children with Special Needs.
Jetsada Homklin
After a quarter century in the clergy and four years officially at the helm
of Pattaya’s highest-profile charity organization, Rev. Peter Pattarapong
Srivorakul is building his own legacy at the Father Ray Foundation.
Fr. Srivorakul’s name is not on the door at any of the Redemptorist
facilities. Be it at the Vocational School for Persons with Disabilities,
School for the Blind, or Home for Children and Youths, the mantle still
carries that of Rev. Raymond “Father Ray” Brennan, who founded the
organization and died more than a decade ago.
Father Pattarapong Srivorakul,
president of Father Ray Foundation, was given a wonderful mass to celebrate
his 25 years in the clergy.
The Thai priest, who in May marked 25 years since taking
his vows, carried on Brennan’s mission in an “acting” capacity for years
until officially being given the president title in 2010. Since then, he’s
worked to establish programs to develop the Foundation’s 850 young charges,
both physically and mentally.
Fr. Peter, as he is affectionately known, said he’s proud of a number of
projects, including the new equine rehabilitation program begun at the
Pattaya Shooting Park in Nongprue for the Redemptorist Center for Children
with Special Needs.
“This method of therapy is accepted worldwide where horses are used to help
rehabilitate development,” Fr. Peter said. “Children also enjoy swimming for
muscle development. Initially children were afraid to enter the water or had
weak muscles, but we’ve observed clear progress as kids show reluctance to
get out.”
Other initiatives include installing computers for visually impaired and
blind children at the Redemptorist School for the Blind. Each is equipped
with special programs and hardware to enable their use without sight.
Father Peter and his youthful
charges prepare for Christmas, one of their favorite times of the year.
“The computer emits sounds every time a button is pressed
and certainly, kids do remember the sound associated with each button,
allowing them to enjoy computers like sighted individuals so they can seek a
good career and live with dignity in society,” he said.
Fr. Peter’s mark has even been made on the smallest Father Ray center, the
Home for Children and Youths, which is the first stop for orphans and
special-needs children.
The home, he said, has organized regular trips away from Pattaya to place
children in a different environment where they can build relationships with
caregivers and other kids.
Father Peter teaches children
how to live safely and productively in society.
Born in 1968 as the second of seven children, Fr. Peter
completed high school at Assumption School Sriracha and earned bachelor’s
degrees in philosophy and theology from Saengtham College. He also earned
another bachelor’s degree in education from Sukhothai Thammathirat Open
University. His master’s degrees were obtained at Naresuan University and
Emory University in the U.S.
He took his first vows on April 25, 1989 and a vow for life on May 3, 1992,
dedicating his life to do good for society and the disabled.
Each computer at the
Redemptorist School for the Blind is equipped with special programs and
hardware to enable their use without sight.
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Star GIS students gain IB Diploma
Mona gained the highest GIS score for IB this year.
Mark Beales
Talented students from Garden International School (GIS) are celebrating
excellent examination results - which included some remarkable personal
triumphs.
Paul
overcame incredible challenges to complete his Diploma.
A total of 14 GIS students who took the International Baccalaureate Diploma
Programme (IBDP) have been awarded the full Diploma, including one student who
returned to re-sit an examination. This overall pass rate of 78 percent is in
line with the global average, a sign that GIS is continuing to meet
international standards. It also shows a slight increase from last year’s
results.
The grades do not always tell the complete story though, and that is the case
with one student. It was a tale of triumph over adversity for Korean student
Kyoung Jun Lee (Paul), who achieved the Diploma despite having to overcome
significant medical conditions and challenges, including cerebral palsy. Paul
worked tirelessly to achieve his goals and was awarded 27 points out of 45.
Students must score 24 to gain the Diploma.
Ian Fraser, IB Coordinator at GIS, said: “For Paul to achieve the IB Diploma is
a truly incredible achievement. It shows how hard work and sheer determination
really can pay off. We are very proud that GIS was able to help Paul and this
result is also a credit to the dedicated teachers and staff we are fortunate to
have. Well done Paul!”
Another great result was achieved by Monisha Punjabi (Mona). Mona, who has only
just turned 17, was given the top IB score in GIS with 41 points, which included
three maximum scores of 7. She also gained the three maximum bonus points for
her Theory of Knowledge and Extended Essay work.
Rohit
was awarded an impressive 39 points.
Another GIS star student, Rohit Ghosh, was given 39 points, a great achievement
as Rohit chose extremely challenging subjects that included Mathematics, Physics
and Chemistry, all at Higher Level. The third-highest score was achieved by
Lucas Akesson, who was awarded 38 points.
A former GIS student, Sandy Stuvik, returned to take his Mathematics examination
and now has also gained the Diploma. He missed an earlier examination due to his
European F3 motor racing commitments. Sandy currently leads the championship.
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme is the world’s premier
pre-university course and begins in Year 12. Students have to study across a
range of six subjects and also complete community-based activities and other
tasks. The IB Diploma Programme is ideal for students who aim to further their
studies at leading universities worldwide, including Thailand. Founded in 1968,
there are around 1 million IB students at 3,440 schools in 141 countries across
the world.
Garden International School, which is based in Ban Chang near Pattaya, began
offering the IB Diploma in 1998 and is one of the most-established IB centres in
the region. For more on Garden, which celebrates 20 years of academic excellence
this year, visit www.gardenrayong.com.
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The History of Jesters Care For Kids
Jesters Care For Kids 2014, Sponsored by Glencore
International and Canadian Jackalope Open
The committee models the 2002 event shirts.
Lewis Underwood
Our Children’s Fair is only 50 days away on Sunday, September 7th at Regents
School followed by our Gala Party Night on Saturday, September 20th at the Amari
Pattaya. At this time, we thought it would be appropriate to look back to the
beginning at what we thought was just ‘another one-off project’ and how it
morphed into a full-blown charity drive.
1998: Alice Poulsen from PILC approached members of the Jesters MC Thailand
about the Fountain of Life Center and helping slum children get safe shelter and
education. A meeting ensued at Delaney’s with Neil Sandilands, Kim Fletcher and
friends and the idea of a fund-raiser was born.
Ban Jing Jai children look adorable in their 2007 event
shirts.
The result was a Pub Night with auctions, raffles and live music, sponsored by
one platinum sponsor (100,000 baht), Chonburi Siam Steel Mill Services, and
augmented by a sponsored push bike ride. The result was over 1 million baht.
1999: A second event, the Jesters Children’s Fair, was conceived to accompany
the Pub Night. The inaugural venue for the Fair was the Royal Cliff Beach Hotel.
A highlight was the tug-of-war when the unfit Haven’s Heavy Haulers beat the
muscle-bound Universe Gym team. The result was 1.4 million baht.
2000: Both events were held at the Amari Orchid Hotel in North Pattaya. The
governor of Chonburi attended the fair, which facilitated the Fountain of Life
Center getting its official status under the name of the Good Shepherd
Foundation. The result was 2.2 million baht.
Our first Gala Party Night with
Jimmy Page and Chris Hogg.
2001: The Fair moved to the Siam Bayshore Hotel in South Pattaya and the Pub
Night back to Delaney’s, which was now named Shenanigans. For the first time we
had two platinum sponsors: Chonburi Siam Steel Mill Services and Shenanigans.
Erik Sorensen raised an incredible 253,000 baht for the sponsored push bike ride
and Susie Ngamsuwan initiated our website. The Pub Night was kicked off with
Chris Kays and the Pattaya Panthers and Panties holding their ‘slave auction’.
The result was 2.7 million baht.
2002: A home was found for the Children’s Fair when Sopin “Noi” Thappajug from
the Diana Group offered her premises, the Diana Garden Resort and Driving Range.
There were now seven platinum sponsors and the result was 3.3 million baht.
2003: Eleven platinum sponsors stepped up and a new pledge program was created
by David Smith and Philip McDonald to accommodate monthly donors. The Pub Night
auction was highlighted with signed jerseys and footballs by David Beckham that
helped raise nearly 500,000 baht on the night. We now had 3 beneficiaries: the
Fountain of Life Center, the Pattaya Redemptorist School for the Blind and the
Eastern Child Welfare Protection Institute in Huay Pong. The result was 4
million baht.
2004: We had 17 platinum sponsors and another successful Pub Night headlined
with the auctioning of a jersey signed by the All-Blacks for 110,000 baht. Erik
and Robert also raised a remarkable 504,000 baht by cycling from Chantaburi to
Pattaya in under 12 hours. The result was 5 million baht.
2005: We now had 20 platinum sponsors and Pub Night, which now followed Kim to
Jameson’s, generated 1.5 million baht. The top auction item was Michael
Schumacher’s signed photo which went for 150,000 baht. The result was 5.4
million baht that was distributed among 10 beneficiaries.
2006: Twenty-three platinum sponsors joined us and the top auction items were a
Siam Country Golf Club Family membership that fetched 135,000 baht and a George
Best signed shirt for 100,000 baht. The result was 6.1 million baht.
2007: Steve J. Lake became the first diamond sponsor (400,000 baht). There were
28 platinum sponsors. Robert and Erik raised over 750,000 baht from their
sponsored pushbike ride. The result was 7.2 million baht.
2008: Just when we thought it could not get any better, four 4 diamond sponsors
came forward and 7 million baht was raised in sponsorship alone. Grammy
Entertainment supplied popular B.O.Y. teen band to headline our stage
entertainment at the Fair. The result was 7.9 million baht!
2009: This year marked our first 12-year cycle, which saw 3 diamond sponsors and
21 platinums. This was to be Erik and Robert’s last sponsored bike ride. Since
2001, they had pedaled their bikes over 2000 kms and raised nearly 3.5 million
baht. The result was 6.8 million baht.
2010: We had 4 diamond sponsors again, including repeat ones Glencore
International, Canadian Jackalope Open and The Herrod Foundation. The highlight
of the Party Night was Jimmy Page making a surprise appearance to raise the
value of his signed auction items. The result was 6.2 million baht.
2011: Due to a freak storm, we experienced our first rainout at the fair,
coupled with severe flooding, which prevented people from getting to the event.
The Pub Night evolved into the Gala Party Night and moved to the Amari Orchid
Pattaya, which became a sit-down, smart-casual affair with buffet and wine.
Jimmy Page showed up again to boost the value of his auction items. The result
was 4.7 million baht.
2012: Jimmy was the star again, when he donated his traveling acoustic guitar
that went for 420,000 baht in the live auction. Together with the rest of his
auction items, he raised nearly 700,000 baht on the night. Otherwise, Diana
rented their driving range to a new party, which ended the 11-year tenure for
our fair there. The result was 5.4 million baht.
2013: The fair relocated to Regent’s International School Pattaya, which turned
out to be an ideal site. Our third Gala Party Night was another resounding
success at the Amari raising 1.17 million baht. Once again, Jimmy Page played a
major role with his auction items. Since 2008, he has raised over a million
baht. The result was 5.2 million baht.
After 16 years of caring for kids, your generosity has provided over 74.1
million baht for over 75 different beneficiaries helping deprived children get
access to safe shelter, education and specialized schooling for the disabled.
We could not have done it without you!
If you would like more information, please go to www.care4kids.info,
www.facebook.com/jesterscare .kids and/or https://twitter.com/JestersCare4Kid.
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Pattaya School No. 4 celebrates 76 years
School directors, led by Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome
(left), pour holy water in the merit-sharing rite.
Surasak Huasoon
Pattaya School No. 4 marked its 76th anniversary with nine monks
performing religious ceremonies.
Principal Yupaporn Thitiworn welcomed Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome to the July 1
event.
Nine monks blessed the school and recited prayers. School officials and guests
then made merit by offering the monks lunch.
After lunch, the monks recited more prayers and lay people poured clean water
into containers and prayed to dedicate merit to the deceased, later pouring it
on the ground.
Monks then sprinkled ceremonial water on attendees.
Pattaya School #4 is located next to Wat Nongyai on Sukhumvit Road opposite
Bangkok Hospital Pattaya. Built on July 1st, 1938, it was originally named
Prachaban Nongprue School when it had 60 students. The school’s first director
was Sawang Malarak.
(L to R) Watana Chantarawaranont,
Jidapha Suwattaporn, Samorn Nongyai, Myor Itthiphol Kunplome, Jintana Maensurin
(director of Pattaya education department), Yupaporn Thitiworn (director of
Pattaya School no. 4), and Itchaya Oara (deputy director of Pattaya School no.
4) pose for a commemorative photo on the occasion of the school’s 76th
anniversary.
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