Anita Henrica van Dam (Year 8 student)
On Sunday 14th March the first ever community treasure
hunt car rally took place and was a big success. It started at the Regent’s
School and finished at the new 5 star Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort
Pattaya, (one of our sponsors). This event was organized by the student’s
parents (Mr. Wilcox and Mr. Proctor) and Mr. Crouch.
A participant takes the flying fox at the treetop
adventure
There were lots of stages from A to G with fun and
challenging pit stops at the end of each stage. For example on the way
around the treasure hunt we had to buy lots of items for local charities.
These included buying a fruit tree or plant that was donated to the Father
Ray farm project in South Pattaya, tools from HomePro (one of our sponsors)
to give to the Father Ray Foundation Vocational School for the Disabled and
also buying food, milk and soaps to give to the Pattaya Orphanage. This
summarizes the main theme of the treasure hunt: ‘giving naturally.’
Smiley holds onto his fruit plant in the back of
the car
One of the pit stops was at Horseshoe Point Resort and we
had the challenge to send one of our team members across a big lake on a zip
line or flying fox. This was great fun and some lucky teams won a free visit
back to Horseshoe Point to experience the whole Treetop Adventure offered
there. Another pit stop was at the Pan Pan restaurant in Jomtien where we
had to eat tasty pizza!
The wall climb challenge at Centara.
At the end of the hunt we had to answer questions or find
the answers of riddles as we were directed around the Centara Hotel. This
included swimming in the rapids, ascending the climbing wall, kayaking out
to sea, and having a relaxing massage. When we finished, we were allowed
free time in the swimming pool and that was a lot of fun.
In the evening we had a barbeque buffet –which was
delicious, and ended with the prize giving. The person with the most points
or answers to the questions and the least mileage won a night in a Centara
Grand Mirage Beach Resort suite.
It was an overall brilliant family fun day and very
successful and I hope there will be another one next year!
The Mongare family collect second
prize.
A group photo at the end of the day
at Centara.
Ingo Raeuber looks extremely pleased as he watches the children
enjoying their lunch.
Scott Michael Smith
On Sunday, April 4, Ingo Raeuber , Group General
Manager Pinnacle Resorts & Spas and President of Skal International
Pattaya & East Thailand hosted a Day at the Beach for Children and staff
from the Camillian Home for Children with Disabilities in Lat Krabang.
Ingo Raueber has a big heart for children.
The events were organized by Assumption Universities
MBA-Tourism Management students as part of their course work in
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
Assumption University Instructor and Doctoral
Candidate Scott Smith declared the event a huge success and said that it
was a great way to end the semester for his CSR class. “I have been
researching the Return on Investment (ROI) of various forms of CSR and
have had the honor of working with Ingo and the team at the Pinnacle on
CSR initiatives, it’s been fun and I’ve learned a lot observing the
various stakeholders and informally measuring the ROI”, says Ajarn
Scott.
Pattaya Mail TV’s Paul Strachan knows how to hold a baby.
Stakeholders are identified broadly as any group
involved in an initiative and include; the children of the Camillian
Home, the sponsor’s management and team members, the grad students, and
Assumption University. “When I asked my students if I, being the teacher
and researcher should be included as a stakeholder, they insisted I
should”. “Discussions like that, in the classroom as well as a
presentation of theories and best practices have helped to make this
class a great learning experience”, say’s Ajarn Scott.
Organizing sponsors, schedules, and activities have
also complemented the classroom lecture. “Khun Ingo at Pinnacle Grand
Jomtien Resort & Spa and Khun Somporn from Ripley’s Believe it or Not!
have been tremendously supportive and enthusiastic.
Ummmm…
Ripleys’ Believe it or Not! arranged for a very
special morning as the kids visited the many attractions at the Royal
Garden Shopping Complex before heading to the Pinnacle Grand Jomtien
Resort & Spa for a sumptuous lunch and water activities. The children
had a great day at the beach and the Camillian Home staff were able to
take a little time to relax as the Assumption University graduate
students spent time with the children.
Pinnacle Grand Jomtien Resort & Spa has a long
tradition of sponsoring worthy causes and demonstrating their
responsibility to the community. In addition to the various forms of
sustainable business practices the Pinnacle group implements they also
sponsor 50-60 children as part of the Youth Development Leaders
Foundation twice a year for a week-long camp. For more information on
CSR initiatives or to arrange sponsorships contact Ajarn Scott at
[email protected].
Assumption University lecturer Scott Michael Smith (standing) with
children and staff from the Camillian Home in Bangkok.
Some of the Camillian Home’s children playing on the
sands at Jomtien.
The beach at the Pinnacle is a paradise for children.
Children gather around the instructor as the work is
about to begin.
Patcharapol Panrak
Children of personnel stationed at the Naval Recruit
Training Center in Sattahip built a mud house as a gift to the New
Theory Learning Center and to show appreciation and understanding of HM
the King’s “sufficiency economy” philosophy.
The children started the project under the direction
of training center Director Capt. Wirat Somchit on April 13. The project
highlighted the culture of mud-hut living as well as holding to a
philosophy that espouses building and buying only what you need and
forsaking excess and luxury.
The practical experience, Wirat said, helps children
understand concepts faster than simply hearing about them in a
classroom. They learned, first hand, that mud houses need solid
foundations and compacted earth as supports for walls, or else the
dwelling crumbles.
Officials speculated the children can apply what they
learned to projects later in life. But the building also proved a worthy
addition to the New Theory center’s exhibits. Once complete, the
students presented their handiwork as a Songkran gift to the
sufficiency-economy center.
The naval officer seems very pleased with the way work
is progressing.
After a hard day’s labour, kids find a fun way to wash
up.
Building a perfect wall requires a lot of
concentration.
Building a solid house as you would your own
characters.
Churning mud can be so much fun.
Stomping around in the mud to ensures that you get
good mixture.
