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GIS participates in Amari Midnight Run
IB 1
joins the 13th Amari midnight run in Bangkok, here showing actual evidence
that everyone enjoys the run despite the anxiety.
by Vanessa Vanderpoel
IB1
On the night of October the 9th the majority of the IB1
and many members of the Garden International School staff went up to Bangkok
to join in with the 13th Amari midnight run. The money raised from the run
goes to support Chalerm Prakiat HRH Princess Sirindhorn School which
supports the education of children whose parents have passed away due to HIV
infection, and Baan Gerda, the Children’s Village project which supports
HIV-infected orphans in Nongmuang, Lopburi province.
The run was challenging for everyone, whether they were
trying to set a personal best time or just complete the distance. The IB
students all ran the 6k run, except for TK who decided to tackle the 12km
along with some of the teachers.
We all decided to meet at the Amari Hotel before 11:30
p.m. on the 9th of October, though most of us turned up at 11 p.m. as we
were quite nervous.
The run started precisely at midnight when all of the
runners did a countdown from 10 seconds to 1 as if waiting for the New Year.
When we first started, most of us stuck together so we didn’t lose each
other. However, as the run progressed we broke up into little groups
allowing some individuals who have a different pace than the others go their
own way. Many of whom did the 6k run had managed to finish within the hour
(the faster and more fit runners) while a few finished just after.
It was exciting running through the streets. There were
over 400 police officers stopping traffic and helping at the event, some
people in costumes as well as some very serious athletes. The atmosphere was
excellent.
At the finish line we were all awarded medals as a
souvenir for our participation in the event. We had lots of fun, and it was
great to really apply ourselves to this challenge. As for me, I already
know, I will be trying to beat my time next year for sure!
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HM King Constantine, royal family attend Round Square party at Nong Nooch
HM King
Constantine II of Greece brings his krathong to float in Nong Nooch Tropical
Garden’s lake.
Patcharapol Panrak
The Greek royal family attended an early Loy Krathong
celebration at Nong Nooch Tropical Garden as the Regent’s School closed out
its hosting of the Round Square International Conference.
HM King Constantine II, HM Queen Anne-Marie and HRH
Princess Theodora were the honored guests at the Oct. 14 party.
The party saw Nong Nooch put on an early Loy Krathong
activity, providing fresh banana leaves for the guests’ krathongs. The royal
family joined the more than 700 guests in floating their krathong on the
garden’s lake.
Round Square aims to inspire students throughout the
world so that their generation will strive for new levels of co-operation,
communication, awareness and understanding. It developed from the inspiring
theories of Kurt Hahn, a philosopher and educationalist who believed that
schools should not just be places to prepare for further education but also
places to prepare for life. By testing themselves, students would be able to
develop their courage, generosity, imagination, principles and resolution.
At the end of the day, they would develop the skills and abilities to become
the leaders of the future.
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Charity Club welcomes newest Platinum Sponsor
Charity Gala Dinner at Pinnacle Grand Jomtien Resort this weekend
Christina Boden
The recently opened MatVic Wholesale Butchers located
in Soi 6/1 Pattaya, became a Platinum Sponsor just in time for the
Charity Club of Pattaya Charity Dinner, being held on Saturday October
30 at the Pinnacle Grand Jomtien Resort.
MatVic Wholesale Butchers MD Matthew Johnston hands over Platinum
sponsorship money to the Charity Club’s treasurer Vic King.
Matvic’s M.D. Matthew Johnston brings years of
experience here in Thailand in producing a wide range of meat products,
particularly those aimed at the western market.
MatVic Wholesale Butchers facility boasts ample room
with its large freezer and chiller storage, plus state of the art meat
processing equipment all imported from Europe.
You can select your favourite meats, pies, sausages
etc from the website www.matvic.com
The Charity Club’s annual Charity Gala Dinner is
scheduled for Saturday October 30th 2010 at the Pinnacle Grand Jomtien
Resort. Tickets are still available. Contact Malcolm on 0897441040.
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Register now and get on
the list for the Rotary Charity
Pattaya Cross Bay Swim
Long
distance swimmers depart from Bali Hai at last year’s event.
Time is getting short to enter the Annual Pattaya Cross
Bay Swim, which is the major swim event on the Eastern Seaboard. This year
it will be held on Sunday, November 7 and swimmers will have a choice of two
distances: 3.5 Km cross bay swim or the shorter 1.1 Km shoreline swim.
Registration and opening ceremonies for the short swim
will commence at the Hard Rock Hotel at 10.00 a.m. and close at 11.30 a.m.
The swim will start at 12.00 noon sharp.
Registration for the long swim will commence at the Sea
Rescue Station (overlooking Bali Pier) at 11.30 a.m. and will close at 12.30
p.m. The swim will start at 1.00 p.m. sharp.
As we are obliged to hold safety records of all swimmers,
the registration process before the swim takes a little time. Officially
registration closes on Monday November 1; there is still plenty of time to
enter. Completing the pre-registration forms before Nov 7 will speed up the
process significantly. If you have any problems with pre-registration please
contact one of our registration team listed below. The minimum
donation/sponsorship to our charity is 2000 Thai baht per swimmer.
Sponsors logos will be included on swim day banners and
on our web site, which is regularly opened by many visitors to Thailand and
by Rotarians from our 32,000 international clubs. All sponsorships and
donations are welcome.
The proceeds from the event will be used to finance
humanitarian projects serviced by the Rotary Club of Jomtien-Pattaya to
alleviate the suffering and needs of the underprivileged in our community
and elsewhere in the kingdom. One of our major on-going projects is the
installation of Pure Drinking Water in schools in rural areas.
Comprehensive safety precautions are provided by Pattaya
Sea Rescue and complementary buffet lunch will be given to all swimmers.
Separate trophies for first, second and third places will be awarded to male
and female swimmers. Best timing male and female teams will also be awarded
trophies.
Details and Registration www.crossbay swim.com or contact
Brendan at home 038 306 343 or mobile 084 033 6296, email brendan.rotary @gmail.com
Philip at home 038 306 366, mobile 086 101 7165, email
[email protected]
Dennis at home 038 734 076, mobile 087 050 4729, [email protected]
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Santa gets an early flight
During an exclusive interview with Pattaya Mail TV, Neera
Sirisampan (left), the Director of Business Development and
International Affairs tells Dr. Iain Corness about the opportunity for
charitable organizations and service clubs to raise funds at the event.
Dr. Iain Corness
With everyone tightening their belts, Santa Claus has
taken an ‘early bird’ discount booking for his Xmas visit to the Bangkok
Hospital Pattaya and will arrive on Saturday November 27 for the annual
Charity Bazaar.
In an exclusive interview with Pattaya Mail TV,
Neera Sirisampan, the Director of Business Development and International
Affairs spoke on the opportunity for the charitable organizations and
service clubs to be able to raise funds at the event. The bazaar will
also host entertainment sessions every hour, with local dance schools
and other groups performing.
The bazaar starts at 9 a.m. and will run until around
2 p.m., but Neera suggests that people come early as the best bargains
do not last long, and the hospital itself will be presenting discounts
on various check-up packages and procedures.
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Round Square delegates introduced to Thai culture
Derek Franklin
The Regents International School recently hosted the
annual Round Square Conference 2010, welcoming eight hundred delegates
from seventy eight independent schools in twenty two countries. The
delegates consisted of students, teachers, principals and school
governors, and the theme of this year’s conference was ‘We Walk
Together’.
King Constantine & Queen Ann-Marie visit the Father Ray Day Care Center.
The conference organisers believe in this phrase
because it represents equality; we walk together as strangers, we walk
together as human beings and we walk together with our local
communities.
With this in mind the delegates were expected to
leave the comfort of the conference for two days and go into the local
communities of Pattaya to experience an environment that is not the norm
for many.
Putting their trust in their guide.
Pattaya’s largest children’s charity, the Father Ray
Foundation, was involved in many aspects of the conference. On the day
most delegates arrived in Pattaya the residents from the Father Ray
Children’s Home held two workshops to introduce the delegates to the
culture of Thailand.
Traditional Thai dancing classes proved to be very
popular, and after watching the local girls perform several beautiful
dance routines the delegates were invited to participate.
More popular was the Muay Thai classes, where well
over two hundred delegates, young and old, arrived to practice a few
kicks and punches.
On the two service days more than one hundred and
fifty delegates travelled to the Father Ray Children’s Village to paint
murals on the perimeter walls. The theme of the murals was the theme of
the conference - We Walk Together. Each section of the wall was
decorated with a mural which had been designed by the residents from the
Father Ray Children’s Home, and these budding artists worked alongside
the conference delegates to paint the walls. Each painting showed a
different type of togetherness, and the delegates and local residents
worked together to finish their task.
Many found the streets of Pattaya frightening.
The students from the Regents School have been
involved with the Father Ray Children’s Village for more than a year,
providing activities for the children, preparing the walls and cutting
back the grass and clearing the land, and they will continue to visit
and work together with the children of the Village to improve their life
and living environment.
Delegates also visited the Father Ray Day Care
Center, meeting and organising activities with the young toddlers who
travel in each day from the poorer slums of Pattaya. The toddlers were
very excited to welcome the founder of the Round Square organization, HM
King Constantine II, his Danish born wife Queen Ann-Marie and their
daughter HRH Princess Theodora.
Thankfully the local Family Mart is wheelchair friendly.
October is the month of the school holidays, but
visits to the Pattaya School for the Blind and the Redemptorists were
made and the delegates were asked to think about how they would cope
living with a disability. With this in mind several were asked to sit in
a wheelchair and follow a route to the nearby Family Mart, others had
their legs tied together, handed a pair of crutches and asked to visit
the local 7-11; not an easy task when there is no ramp and tall steps;
not very convenient considering the store is directly opposite a school
for people with disabilities.
‘We
Help Together’.
Whilst the visitors were wheeling themselves around
or hobbling along on crutches another group took turns being blindfolded
and placing their trust in their friend who guided them and kept them
safe; they walked together, they helped together and they learned
together and they trusted together.
The delegates have left Pattaya and returned to their
home countries, but they will hopefully take their experiences of our
city home with them and use their knowledge to raise awareness of the
many charitable organisations working for the underprivileged of Pattaya.
More information about the Father Ray Foundation can
be found at www.fr-ray.org or email
[email protected]
The
residents of the Children’s Village were eager to help.
The
Muay Thai workshop was very popular.
‘We
Build Together’.
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