The ‘business’ in the sense that the Charity Drive
in 2001 is being run more like a business and more efficiently than ever
before. This as a result of three previous years experience and the
success of raising 4.6 million baht for the benefit of unfortunate
children from impoverished and broken families, cared for and educated at
the Fountain of Life Children’s Center.
The center, in Soi Marina Pattaya, is no longer a small
room looking after just a few children. It is now, thanks to the efforts
of the Jesters, together with the sponsors and contributors to the annual
charity drive, a fully equipped establishment, professionally run by the
Sisters of the Good Shepherd under the auspices of the newly registered
Good Shepherd Foundation.
Successful charity drives rely on the voluntary hard
work and generosity of individuals, working as a team and collectively
providing a comprehensive range of skills to enable the operation to be
run as a business.
‘Care for Kids’ is proud to have such a team and,
with three years experience in the bank, the opportunity to make 2001 the
most successful charity drive yet.
Lewis ‘Woody’ Underwood as chairman provides the
driving force and, backed by the formidable Jesters Motorcycle Club
members (the Harley Boys), who are always available when needed, we have a
general and powerful workforce.
However, the expertise within the ‘Care for Kids’
executive committee is the key to agreeing the charity drive strategy and
implementing the plan. It is never too early to start so, in preparation
for the Children’s Fair on Sunday September 16th, and the Pub Night at
Shenanigans a week later on Saturday 22nd September, meetings began on
February 20th to lay the foundation for ‘Care for Kids’ Charity Drive
2001.
Woody had taken over the chair from Graham MacDonald (BCCT)
who, nevertheless, is never far away and always available for valuable
comment or advice.
Fun
and games at last year’s event
Kim Fletcher (Shenanigans shy and retiring Landlord)
was up for the Pub Night and saddled too with masterminding this years’
Bike Ride, with the awesome task of raising even more money than last
year. For good measure, Shenanigans have taken a Platinum Sponsorship too.
Workaholic Susie Ngamsuwam came on the scene as the ‘Care4Kids’ Web
Mistress, and has produced a superb and always up to date Web Page, to be
found at www.care4kids.freeservers.com This new innovation for the Charity
Drive 2001 covers everything about this years’ campaign. Very graphic,
easy to read and multi-linked. Take a short break from reading this
weeks’ Pattaya Mail and log on - you won’t be disappointed! And, just
consider the advantages the web page has given us. We judged the Fountain
of Life Children’s Painting Competition early this year and the
paintings, with the winner, are up. This means the 2001 Care for Kids
‘T’ Shirts, featuring the winning painting, will be available to buy
very soon, and not just on the day of the Children’s Fair. The 2001
appeal letter (this year in Thai, German and French as well as English) is
also on the web page with full details of this year’s event and the
opportunities for corporate and individual sponsorship. Available to
download too, are the advertising rates for the Children’s Fair souvenir
program.
The program will also be on sale in advance of the
Children’s Fair, will include a free starter ticket to the famous
children’s raffle, and be the entry ticket to the fair. I am pleased to
be running the children’s raffle once again with Harry Riley.
Sponsored this year by the Jesters and supported with
valuable prizes donated by individuals, the prize list will be impressive
and starring a new giant teddy bear, ‘Bertie the Biker’, who will be
made an honorary member of Jesters MC after a simple road test on
Woody’s shiny Harley Davidson.
The children’s raffle draw will be made earlier,
during the middle of the fair, to give as many families as possible the
chance to be present.
Khun Neera with her team from Bangkok Pattaya Hospital
will be on the raffle stand again, and the ambulance unit will be on
station for the bike ride and during the fair.
My other involvement on the committee this year has
been to bring to the table some thirty-five years experience in marketing
and advertising to help prepare a media & PR strategy for the drive.
The display material has been re-designed and
rationalized as a campaign, covering the Children’s Fair and Pub Night.
Ably assisted here by committee member and ‘on the spot’ media man
Brendan Richards from Pattaya Mail. Print guru Neville Pick is also
involved again and will be producing a more comprehensive Children’s
Fair Souvenir Program than last year due to an increase in the number of
advertisers. Roaming Jesters are targeting potential advertisers and
asking for support in the program from local businesses and entertainment
establishments.
If the Jesters have not visited you yet - then why not
call on us, by e-mail, to [email protected] Any information about
advertising rates in the program can be found on the web site at
www.care4kids.freeservers.com
We are grateful to Pattaya Mail and the Pattaya Mail TV
Channel for running this series of Jesters’ Care for Kids’ articles,
this being the fourth, together with the linked TV interviews by Dr. Iain
Corness.
Niel Poulsen, managing director of platinum sponsor
Chonburi/Siam Steel Mill Services, when available, makes a valuable
contribution to the executive committee meetings.
The Children’s Fair program will also feature a plan
of the fair site, this year at the lovely Siam Bayshore Resort, South
Pattaya and ideal for the biggest Children’s Fair yet.
Committee man Kevin (SEAL) Mitch from the Blue Parrot
will be in command of the fair so we are again guaranteed a briefing, and
organization on the day, of military precision. Kevin will tell his own
story to Pattaya Mail in due course. He alone has been made responsible
for securing the highest quality hand-made Tug-of-War rope for this
year’s tug.
Now, rounding up the sponsors and advertisers is no
easy task, so considerable mailing help has been given by committee man
Chris Kays of Pattaya Panther notoriety.
Pledges for program advertising need to be followed up
and, to this end, there is no better sweeper than former PSC charity
chairman, Harry Riley.
Jeff Paladeau quietly makes his presence felt at
committee meetings, is very good at writing minutes (although not as funny
as ‘away’ member Paul Baker), and is one of Woody’s team of roaming
Jesters on the trail of potential program advertisers.
Alice Poulsen, with Woody, is liaison committee member
with the Sisters Joan and Jiemjit at the Fountain of Life, and an original
committee and founder member of the Jesters Charity Drive.
Jill (St. Andrews) Thomas also serves on the committee
and ensures good liaison with all the schools in the area as well as
having great ideas for what novelty stalls might offer to visitors to the
fair.
Finally, it must be said that all the planning and hard
work is of little point without the sponsors and advertisers and their
support for the Children’s Fair and Pub Night.
A very important supporter of the ‘Care for Kids’
Charity Drive overall is the newly re-fitted Tesco Lotus Supercenter on
Sukhumvit, South Pattaya. For a second year, the store is donating the
proceeds of the in-store collection box to the Fountain of Life. Last year
the donation exceeded 240,000 baht and we are most grateful to Tesco
Lotus, and their shoppers, for the possibility of a similar sum being
donated to the Fountain of Life this year.
A great team in place, with the clear and determined
objective of making the Jesters ‘Care for Kids’ Charity Drive 2001 the
most successful for the children yet.
