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Rotary Club of Jomtien-Pattaya presents scholarships to needy schoolchildren for the year 2005
Providing opportunities for children to receive a proper
education is one of the most important ideals of service of the Rotary Club
of Jomtien-Pattaya and their supporters.
So when Rotarians discovered that there were hundreds if
not thousands of students in our community that lacked higher education
because of financial restrictions, they decided to set up a Rotary
Scholarship Fund to help them continue their education.
This project was initiated with the cooperation of the
Rotary Club of Jomtien-Pattaya in district 3340 in Thailand, the Rotary Club
of Pijnacker-Nootdorp in district 1600 in Holland, the Rotary International
Foundation and the generous support of Mr. and Mrs. De Vaan from Holland.
Mayor
Niran presents a scholarship to a deserving student.
A budget of 1,320,000 baht was subsequently raised for
this purpose. Along with this fund for education, another 271,000 baht was
allocated for the development and training of teachers in the various
schools.
The club’s plan was to give scholarships to the
children for three consecutive years until they finished Mathayom 3, which
is equivalent to the 9th grade.
Every year since 2003, 220 needy students have received
2000 baht each for their schooling, totalling 440,000 baht. The second
allotment was presented to the children in 2004 and this year, the last of
the scholarship presentations took place on the 14th of March in the
assembly hall at Pattaya School Number 8.
Mayor
Niran Wattanasartsathorn, city council members, teachers, parents, Rotary
Club of Jomtien-Pattaya President Judy Hoppe, Rotary Club Eastern Seaboard
President Martin Brands, Susiree Chanchailert of the Rotary Club of Pattaya,
and other Rotarians presented scholarships to 220 needy students on March 14
at Pattaya School Number 8.
Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn, city council members,
teachers, parents, Rotary Club of Jomtien-Pattaya President Judy Hoppe,
Rotary Club Eastern Seaboard President Martin Brands, Susiree Chanchailert
of the Rotary Club of Pattaya, and other Rotarians were present for the
presentation.
In her speech to the children, President Judy said, “It
is my pleasure to be here today to help present scholarships to many
deserving students. Education is the most important thing you can get in
your life. It is the basis for all of your future hopes and dreams. A good
education will allow you to be the best that you can be when combined with
hard work and determination. Once you get a good education you will be
better prepared to fulfil your dreams. Remember always to dream what you
want to dream; go where you want to go; be what you want to be, because you
have only one life and one chance to do all the things you want to do.”
In closing Judy said, “We hope these scholarships will
help you achieve your dreams. The happiest of people don’t necessarily
have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that
comes along their way. Good luck today and always.”
The mayor said, ‘This is a great achievement for the
clubs, and gives the kids a chance to finish their Mathayom level without
financially burdening their parents.” He said city hall honours this act
of humanity and he urged all people to do more for society. Mayor Niran also
encouraged the kids who received the funds to study hard, obey their parents
and teachers, and be good citizens.
The mayor went on to say, “There are 10 schools under Pattaya City’s
care, with 11,632 students and 400 teachers. The city has a budget of 12
million baht per year for the education of our children, but that is not
enough if they want to further their education. Therefore, it is heartening
to see that there are people in our community who reach out and lend a hand
to help these children get a decent education.”
Jomtien Pattaya Rotary Club,
Ge-Laurent Foundation and
Pattaya police promote road safety
Suchada Tupchai
As Pattaya grows at breakneck speed, so, too, do the
problems that accompany such expansion. One of the most disheartening is
the growing death toll on the region’s roads. As there are now more
vehicles on the same number of Pattaya roads than ever before, and as these
numbers continue to climb, the number of road accidents is higher than
ever.
(L to
R) Police Colonel Somnuk Changate, Pattaya police superintendent; Martin
Brands, Rotary Club Eastern Seaboard president; Apichart Puechphan, Pattaya
Deputy municipal clerk and Judy Hoppe, Rotary Club of Jomtien-Pattaya
president promote road safety.
Negligence, a lack of respect for traffic laws,
disregard for quality motorcycle crash helmets (as the good Dr Iain says,
“If you have a 100 baht head, wear a 100 baht helmet), and a disregard
for vehicle maintenance, have added up to a dangerous situation on our
roads. Most agree that “something” needs to be done, but very few have
solid, manageable and sustainable ideas to accomplish that “something”.
One group of organizations that does, however, is the
ongoing collective effort of the Rotary Club of Jomtien-Pattaya, the
Ge-Laurent Foundation and Pattaya Police. For several years now, these
organizations have been promoting road safety. Much of their efforts are
made through education, a key method in changing society, and their main
event is their annual Road Safety Day.
Mechanics,
teachers and students from Aksorn Technology School in Pattaya City
provided free motorbike checkups.
This year, Road Safety Day was held on March 26 at Mike
Shopping Mall on Pattaya Second Road. The stated purpose of the event was
to educate the public about traffic laws and, of course, road safety.
This year’s activities were divided into two parts; 1)
Education: qualified speakers lectured about traffic laws and road safety,
and invited the public to participate in road safety related games and
receive souvenirs; and 2) Service: free motorbike checkups were performed
by mechanics, teachers and students from Aksorn Technology School in
Pattaya City.
Police Major Somchai Phongsai, Pattaya’s chief traffic
inspector, supervised the event and managed the facilities.
Police Colonel Somnuk Changate, Pattaya police
superintendent and Apichart Puechphan, Pattaya Deputy municipal clerk,
presided over the opening ceremonies. City officials, private
organizations, and the public were in attendance.
Judy Hoppe, Jomtien-Pattaya Rotary Club president, said
that this activity was set up with cooperation from the Rotary Club of
Jomtien-Pattaya, the Ge-Laurent Foundation, the Banglamung School
Interaction Club, Pattaya Police Department, Aksorn Technology School in
Pattaya, Mike Shopping Mall, and departments associated with road safety.
One can only hope that the citizens who attended the function now have a
better understanding of just how important it is to take precautionary
measures to become as safe on the road as possible, and that they practice
safety at all times.
Regents School and English Speaking Lions Club raise money for tsunami victims
Peter Smith, president of the English-speaking Lions
Club, recently presented a donation to the Regents School for their tsunami
appeal. So far, the school has raised over 540,000 baht in various fund
raising events, including a ‘Swimathon’ in which 16 teams swam, raising
250,000 baht with the Lion’s support.
Peter
Smith (right), president of the English-speaking Lions Club, presents a
donation to the Regents School for their tsunami appeal.
Part of the money has already been sent to Krabi Province
for utilities and fishing boats. 180,000 baht has gone to the island of Kho
Jam near Phi Phi for two electricity generators for 30 new homes.
For the third stage of the relief, Regent students will go South on the
April 15 for a week.
Easter Bunny visits
St Andrews children
By Nara Yun
Year 2 student
Dear Easter Bunny,
 Saki
has spotted some bunny footprints
Thanks for coming in to St Andrews. It was easy to find
the eggs. You know, I found lots of eggs all at once! Easter Bunny, when I
came into the school, I didn’t understand what was happening. Mary said
to me, “What are those footprints?” and I said “I don’t know”.
But when I went up the stairs, I saw more footprints. You left us clues and
everyone yelled “The Easter Bunny has come!” We looked for all the
Easter eggs and ate them all. Craig found out how you came into our
classroom. You jumped up to our window. I hope you come and see us again.
From Nara
Students help underprivileged in Rayong
Last week a group of young leaders from the International School Eastern
Seaboard (ISE) participated in the “Hopeful Children Project” in
Rayong. The volunteer project put on by the Fund of Friends (FFF) aimed to
help disadvantaged and handicapped children and teens. Among the
participants were 100 victims from the tsunami disaster area.
ISE
student Aya Taniguchi and teacher Barbara Alexander assist a handicapped
individual along the beach as part of the “Hopeful Children Project” in
Rayong on March 27.
Students from ISE spent all of Saturday at the Royal
Thai Navy Marine Base “Maha-Surasinghanart” in Rayong province. They
participated and performed in group activities designed to build
communication, community, and acceptance. They were accompanied by their
teacher Ms. Barbara Alexander and were one of a handful of international
groups and NGOs who participated in the event.
Organizers say approximately 500 underprivileged
children took part in the event, most of whom are disadvantaged when
compared to their counterparts in society. Many were blind, deaf, limb-less
or suffered from mental problems. They are considered “Hopeful”
children as the organization hopes to provide the encouragement necessary
to live successfully in society.
Volunteers from ISE participated in events ranging from swimming to
adventure stations and performances. Most of all, however, they were
mentors and friends to people in need.
Kindergarten at St. Andrews International School visits
local Equestrian Centre
On Tuesday March 8, the Kindergarten Class at St Andrews International
School set off by bus to visit the local Equestrian Centre.
What a lot there is to learn about horses! The biggest
horse in the stables is Giant (he’s a stallion) and he really is massive
at 16.5 hands. The smallest pony is Tinker and he is just right if you are
three and a half.
 Hugo
on Campari, feet in the stirrups and ready to go.
First Alison, the manager, fitted us with riding hats to
keep us safe and then we all had a ride around the arena. We saw all the
brushes that are used to keep the horses clean and the sweat scrapers that
are used when the horses and ponies have a shower.
We went into the tack room and saw all the saddles and
bridles. We also tried on some jumping jackets. These are very hard and
protect your bones if you fall off.
 Dew
and Sera with Giant, the biggest horse in the stables
We walked very quietly around the yard to try and find
the chickens and roosters who were hiding in one of the stables. We had a
climb in the hay bales. We tried on some fly masks; the horses wear these
to keep the flies away from their eyes.
We tried on some horse boots too. These are worn on the
hocks (the bottom of the horse’s leg) and protect the horse from
injuries. We had a turn at pushing the wheel barrow and the most exciting
job of all … scooping up some poop with a special little dustpan and a
trowel. (Smelly!)
After an action packed hour we were sweating and thirsty so said goodbye
and thank you to Alison and all the horses, and returned to school.
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