Jesters Care for Kids Charity Drive 2010 Sponsored by Glencore International, Canadian Jackalope Open, Devil’s Creek Development Project and The Herrod Foundation
Lewis Underwood
OMG Jesters
Children’s Fair is next weekend!
Where has the time gone? It seems like it was just
yesterday when we were heralding in the New Year. But not to worry, despite
the time warp, we are ready to rumble.
Next, Sunday, September 12th, is our Jesters Children’s
Fair at the Diana Garden Resort and Driving Range in North Pattaya, where it
has been for the last 9 years. And there will be clowns, cotton candy,
climbing walls, contests, and colored balloons, plus 4 rising stars from
Thai GMM Grammy!
Herrod Foundation goes
Diamond again!
This Foundation in Switzerland financially assists
smaller charities benefiting ‘disadvantaged, neglected and homeless
children’, primarily in Asia and Africa, entirely from its own resources.
Michael Jones from the foundation discovered us through
our website and convinced the board to join us in 2006 as a Platinum Sponsor
(100,000 baht). Since then The Herrod Foundation has been Diamond Sponsors
(400,000 baht) and majority contributor for our major projects.
Specifically, the Groagyaicha Primary School in Rayong, where we did
extensive reconstruction to classrooms in 2007 (total cost: 719,660 baht);
Ban Klongbangpai Primary School across from U-Tapao, where we constructed a
new kindergarten in 2008 (total cost: 787,190 baht); and most recently the
Khao Baisri Home for Disabled Boys in Sattahip in 2009 (total cost: 870,860
baht).
This year they are donating approximately 500,000 baht,
depending upon the exchange rate, for the new construction of a kindergarten
at Ban Amphur Primary School.
Fair Stallholder Meeting
is Monday, September 6th!
This coming Monday we will hold our annual fair
stallholder meeting run by Fair Site Coordinator, Bill Freeman, at Jameson’s
Irish Pub at 7 p.m. Bill will provide not only pertinent information, but
also the location of your stall on the fairground layout produced by
Geckotech.
Some bullet points for the meeting are:
* All stalls include approximately one 4X4 meter area
(tee box area stalls are slightly smaller) - two tables and two chairs - one
electrical outlet (approx. 3 amps). Please note that the system will NOT
run electrical appliances that draw a lot of power.
* For safety reasons, no vehicles will be allowed in the
stall area on the day of the event, Sunday, September 12th until after 6
p.m. However, you may off load in the stall area on Saturday, September 11,
but only after 4 p.m.
* The fair site will be opened from 6 a.m. on the day of
the Fair. Official hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
* There is no running water or ice available at the
stalls, nor is there any change. Please bring trash cans/bags for your
stall.
Banners should be no larger than .75 X 3.50 meters.
* IMPORTANT NOTE! This year’s children’s coupons
are LIGHT BLUE and are NOT redeemable for cash. Coupons will
only be used internally by school staff for kid’s games.
* Stall fees are payable to Bill at the fair. Standard
stalls: 1500 baht and food stalls: 2500 baht.
* PLEASE DO NOT SELL BEER AT YOUR STALLS.
* Please secure valuables at all times. The organizers
will not be responsible for any loss or damage that may occur.
* For more info, please contact Bill 089-930-3558 or
Kevin 081-9828845.
For more information about not only our Fair, but also
our Charity Drive in general, please visit our website at
www.care4kids.info. There still may be some stalls available as of this
issue. If so, you can rent through our website.
If we do not see you at the Fair Stallholder meeting, we
look forward to seeing you on Sunday, September 12th.
Vimolrat Singnikorn
Rotarians in District 3340 of Rotary International
hope to raise the equivalent of $120,000 for the Rotary Foundation to
support its various humanitarian causes in Thailand and worldwide.
DG Thongchai Lortrakannon instills the spirit of ‘tam
boon’ (making merit) into the hearts of all people.
At the Rotary Foundation and Membership Development
seminar held on August 14 at the Eastern Grand Palace Hotel in Pattaya,
District Governor Thongchai Lortrakannon said, “The mission of the
Rotary Foundation is to enable Rotarians to advance world understanding,
goodwill and peace through the improvement of health, the support of
education and the alleviation of poverty.
“The Rotary Foundation is a not-for-profit
corporation that is supported solely by voluntary contributions from
Rotarians and friends of the Foundation who share its vision of a better
world.
PDG
Premprecha Dibbayawan, District Rotary Foundation Chair, is the guru of
all foundation matters.
“The Foundation’s Humanitarian Programs fund
international Rotary club and district projects to improve the quality
of life, providing health care, clean water, food, education, and other
essential needs primarily in the developing world. One of the major
Humanitarian Programs is PolioPlus, which seeks to eradicate the
poliovirus worldwide. Through its Educational Programs, the Foundation
provides funding for some 1,200 students to study abroad each year.
Grants are also awarded to university teachers to teach in developing
countries and for exchanges of business and professional people. Former
participants in the Foundation’s programs have the opportunity to
continue their affiliation with Rotary as Foundation Alumni.”
DG Thongchai also spoke of the Rotary Peace and
Conflict Studies Program which was established to provide professionals
from around the world the opportunity to be trained in conflict
resolution and mediation strategies and to become better equipped to
help prevent and resolve conflict, as well as foster policies and create
settings that ensure peace, worldwide.”
In regards to membership development, DG Thongchai
stressed the importance of bringing new members into Rotary clubs,
saying, “In the past few years the numbers were dwindling and Rotary
needs members to help in our noble task of doing good in the world.”
He encouraged members to push hard to increase Rotary
members in the clubs in District 3340, which have remained largely
stagnant for a decade. The goal this year is to have every club add at
least one new member. Already, he said, 22 new people have joined Rotary
and he hopes that by year end there will be 60 new members.
Rotarians from many clubs in the northeast and
eastern regions of Thailand attended this seminar and at the completion
of the colloquium went off in their separate directions, vowing to
implement the Rotary ideals and programs to make the world a better
place for everyone.
PDG
Krai Tungsanga (2nd left) and Martin Brands (right) gave many insights
into the workings of the Rotary Foundation. They are supported by PDG
Pratheep Malhotra (left) and PP Dennis Stark (2nd right).
On behalf of Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, Ranjith Chandrasiri, President of
Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Pattaya, presents the donation cheque to Ms
Sukhanya Seaton, Director of the Banprakhun Early Learning Center while
the Chaîne members, friends and the children look on.
Vimolrat Singnikorn
The local chapter
of the world’s most prestigious gourmet group has placed nutrition for
poor children at the top of its menu of activities.
Members of Chaîne
des Rôtisseurs Pattaya recently visited the Ghopai “Banprakhun” Early
Learning Center located on Pattaya Tai Soi 1, to make a donation to
provide milk for the children attending the center. Chaîne’s charity
program, Associaton Caritative de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs’ known as
ACCR, is aimed at providing nutritious food to those in need, especially
children in local areas in and around Pattaya.
The children say thank you.
Ghopai is one of
the largest housing areas of very low income people in Pattaya with over
400 residents. There is, as you would expect a high level of crime,
alcohol and drugs in the area. The children, particularly the young
pre-school ones, are mostly left alone during the day with very limited
supervision in this harsh environment. Banprakhun Early Learning Center
provides the underprivileged children in the area with a safe and secure
environment to learn and participate in activities.
The group was
welcomed by center director Sukhanya Seaton Aug. 11 and the visitors
were treated to a student show.
Opened five years
ago, Banprakhun takes in kindergarten-age slum children too poor to
attend school. For 20 baht a day, they are provided schooling, supplies,
lunch and day care from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. After completing their program,
they then can enroll in Pattaya’s public schools.
The Chaîne des
Rôtisseurs is the world’s oldest international gastronomic society,
founded in Paris in 1248. It is devoted to preserving the camaraderie
and pleasures of the table and to promoting excellence in all areas of
the hospitality arts. Each year the society sponsors young chef and
sommelier competitions that attract contestants from throughout the
world, while the Chaîne Foundation provides scholarships for students in
these fields.
Sukhanya Seaton (left)
welcomes the honored guests to the center.
