Lewis Underwood &
Mike Franklin
The quiet achiever since nearly a year ago for the
Jesters Care for Kids Charity Drive has been the Pledge for Kids Program,
which has run in tandem with corporate sponsorship to raise additional funds
for the Jesters ‘Care for Kids’ Charity Drive. The pledge is primarily a
concept of making donations on a monthly basis over a 12-month period. There
are 4 options to choose from:
* A Corporate Gold Pledge of 2000 baht per month
* A Corporate Silver Pledge of 1000 baht per month
* A Personal Gold Pledge of 1000 baht per month
* A Personal Silver Pledge of 500 baht per month
There is also a Good Samaritan Pledge for those wishing
to make a one-off donation. This option has been convenient for accepting
lump sum donations from companies that do not want to go to Corporate
Sponsorship levels.
PMCI and David Smith have been instrumental in not only
launching the Pledge Program, but also printing brochures (with an
application form), providing Pledge Kits (framed certificate and composite m้lange
of children’s photos for attaching the monthly receipts and thank-you
letter), as well as controlling the accounting. Members of the Jesters MC
(Volunteer Pledge Collectors) provide assistance by going around each month
to collect the donations from those in the Pledge Program.
To date, the Pledge has generated 630,000 baht out of
almost 900,000 baht pledged. We are hoping to realize the original target of
one million baht in pledges by July in the program’s first year. The
Pledge for Kids program of monthly donations has now made the Jesters
‘Care for Kids’ Charity Drive a truly year round effort. For more info,
please visit, www.care4kids.info/pledge
British Airways and Qantas deserve a special mention, as
they have offered for the past five years the Star Prize in our Grand Raffle
at the Jesters’ Pub Night: 2 Economy tickets Bangkok-Sydney return.
Despite the present trying times for the airline industry, BA/Qantas has
come through once again for the sixth consecutive year in offering this top
prize. The successful selling of grand raffle tickets, which generates about
a half million baht each year for the charity drive, would not be possible
without the continuing support of British Airways and Qantas for which we
are grateful.
Hans Westphal at Rieckermann Thai Engineering has just
become our 10th Platinum Sponsor (100,000 baht) for 2003. Hans, who was out
of the country when our first press release came out, has been a big part of
our charity drive. He first came aboard in 2001 as a Gold Sponsor (50,000
baht) and now, with this year’s commitment, has gone Platinum for the
second consecutive year. Additionally, his wife’s restaurant, Chan’s
Bistro, is once again a Silver Sponsor (25,000 baht) for the third
consecutive year. We greatly appreciate both Hans and Chan’s continuing
support.
Our other 9 Platinum Sponsors for this year are: Baltex
Industries, Foster Wheeler, Kvaerner E & C, MBMG International, Nirvana
Resort (Koh Chang), Pattaya Mail, Sailor Inn, Shenanigan’s and
Southeast Asia Control and Automation Systems.
In addition to the sponsors mentioned, we have a
different type of sponsor, namely the four promotional partners who work
with us and provide invaluable support. So who are our promotional partners?
Christoph Balzli at Baltex Industries, who graciously
provided our Sponsored Bike Ride participants with the classy bike shirts
last year, and was a Gold Sponsor too, has upped the ante to Platinum
Sponsor this year. Baltex will not only provide the bike shirts again free
of cost, but is also giving a generous discount on our ‘Care for Kids’
Event shirts. This is the fourth year that Baltex have been the makers of
the popular ‘Care for Kids’ shirt.
There are other promotional partners too, that give
invaluable support and generously contribute services and facilities to
ensure the success of the Jesters Charity Drive.
Pattaya Mail, through regular press coverage in Pattaya
Mail & Pattaya Blatt and linked Pattaya Mail Television
broadcasts on Sophon Cable TV, provides publicity in depth between May and
September.
Support too from their design studio in producing the
Children’s Fair program and publicity material.
Shenanigans, through its enthusiastic landlord Kim
Fletcher, organizes the highly successful Bike Ride at the Children’s Fair
and, six days later on Saturday September 20th, hosts the Jesters Pub Night
in Shenanigans to bring the charity drive to a climatic and successful
conclusion. Always a party night to enjoy, and always a night to remember.
Finally, for the first year we do not have to look for a
suitable venue for the Jesters Children’s Fair. The Diana Garden Resort
& Driving Range proved to be the ideal venue in 2002 and it was the best
Children’s Fair yet. Thanks to the continued support and cooperation from
Sopin Thappajug and the Diana Group Management, that is where the
Children’s Fair will be this year, on Sunday September 14th. Our
experience carried over from 2002 has produced new ideas, including more
shade by the stalls, more fun facilities for the children (especially close
to the beer garden), an even better stage set-up, and more besides.
Committeemen Kevin Mitch and Jon Wilson are going to make that happen.
More news about the 2003 Jesters Charity Drive,
Children’s Fair and Pub Night to come in future issues of Pattaya Mail
and on Pattaya Mail Television News. Stay tuned.
