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Wrapping up 2012 with Christmas events and moving forward
Jesters Care for Kids Charity Drive 2012 - Sponsored by Glencore International and Canadian Jackalope Open
The Christmas season always
starts with the Fountain of Life Children Center’s pageant.
Lewis Underwood
Wrapping up the outgoing year is always delightful for us given all
the Christmas celebrations that take place at our projects. It’s a great way
to get in the spirit of the season and, moreover, it is all about giving.
The Christmas season always starts with the Fountain of Life Children
Center’s pageant, which was on Thursday, December 13th this past year.
Besides the nativity play, there was also a variety of other entertainment
performed by kids.
We take the Camillian kids on
a Christmas shopping spree to Big C in Rayong.
This fete always culminates with an appearance from Santa
Claus, who hands out gifts to the kids and families, provided by the Pattaya
International Ladies Club (PILC) and Jesters Care for Kids.
Next up was a double header on Saturday, December 15th starting with the
Bangkok Hospital Pattaya Christmas Bazaar in the morning attended by a host
of charity organizations. Here also entertainment was provided by children
with an emphasis on the time of the season.
Kate’s Project Christmas party
in Nong Prue.
Then in the afternoon, we drove down to Rayong to take
the kids from the various Camillian projects in the vicinity for a Christmas
shopping spree. All together there were 61 kids and the gathering place was
Big C on Highway 36. Each child was allotted 1000 baht provided by the
Canadian Jackalope Open and Jesters and they had an hour to complete the
task.
As usual, the older ones had done their homework and came armed with
detailed lists and costs for the items they sought. The younger ones had
minders to help them do their shopping. Across the board, though, shoes,
socks and clothing seemed to be the most popular items.
Camillian kids with
disabilities singing Christmas carols at the Camillian Home.
Between our two organizations, we spent 60,862 baht, in
addition to the countless10 baht coins provided at the children’s arcade
during the check-out process.
Kate’s Project Christmas party in Nong Prue was the next event up on Sunday,
December 23rd, which was also another joint venture between PILC and
Jesters. From our side, we supplied 20,000 baht to cover the pig on a spit
and all the trimmings for the kids and families who attend this annual
happening. Additionally, we donated 58 event shirts to the kids from our
inventory.
Fahsai plays a sheep in the
nativity story at the Camillian Home in Lat Krabang.
The last Christmas gathering was at the Camillian Home in
Lat Krabang on Saturday, December 29th, where they cater to kids living with
HIV and disabilities. Here the Jackalope and Jesters sponsor 3 children,
including Tewid and Fey, who were previously resident at the Camillian
Social Center in Rayong before relocating to this Home near the Bangkok
airport 5 years ago.
The third child was Fahsai; an abandoned child with palsy transferred from
Hand to Hand Foundation in Pattaya last spring. Here, too, the kids sang
Christmas carols and reenacted the nativity story, where our little Fahsai
played a sheep in one of the scenes.
All in all, it was not only a great way to end the past year, but also a
great motivator to propel us into the New Year and kick off our 16th annual
Jesters Care for Kids Charity Drive for 2013.
For more info, please visit us at www.care4kids.info and/or
www.facebook.com/jesterscare.forkids.
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Sripatum University interns thank Pattaya Mail
(L to R) Students Padiwaladda Wongsuntorn and
Paweena Phandontree watch as Pattaya Mail Media Group General Manager
Kamolthep Malhotra receives thanks from Hope Christina Deita and Panuwat
Pantakod.
Warunya Thongrod
Teachers from Sripatum University thanked the staff of the Pattaya Mail,
which had trained two students there during three-month internships.
Panuwat Pantakod and Hope Christina Deita, lecturers from the English for
Business Communication program at the school’s Chonburi campus, met wet Pattaya
Mail Media Group General Manager Kamolthep Malhotra Dec. 24.
They thanked the Pattaya Mail for hosting Paweena Phandontree
and Padiwaladda Wongsuntorn during internships that began Oct. 8.
The newspaper’s managers praised the students and told of their achievements in
the company. “Both worked splendidly with confidence to converse in English,
which have made these two undergraduates much more special than other graduates
we have had,” Malhotra said.
The Pattaya Mail regularly provides opportunities for interns in a range of
media-related fields, offering real-world experience that provides more benefits
than can be achieved in a classroom.
Padiwaladda said she appreciated the chance to practice English, “which I have
been studying since forever,” and used it for work. During her internship she
wrote headlines, assisted reporters and interacted with customers.
“I believe that I have gained more than expected knowledge from the three moths
training,” Paweena added. “I have learnt things that I would not have been able
to in classrooms, particularly, organizing events outside, meeting with
foreigners conversing in many languages apart from English.”
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Khun Ja and Pattaya Sports Club celebrate the coming of New Year
The new house is opened.
William Macey
It was the weekend between Christmas and New Year, December 29th to be precise,
and it is approximately 1 year since Khun Ja found suitable premises that could
accommodate a centre for abused children, the Anti-Human & Child Abuse Centre,
so a good excuse for a party but Thais do not really need an excuse.
From modest beginnings and with the generosity of various groups, including
Pattaya Sports Club, it is growing into a compact family unit and safe haven for
those children at risk and they can always count on the broad shoulders of Ja.
The presents are piled high.
Following an introduction by PSC, one person has been
particularly generous and has contributed, personally, to the expansion of
A.T.C.C. for the benefit of the children. Nigel Oakes has provided funds to
build another house, shown here, a monthly allowance for Ja to buy food &
supplies for the next year and, being that time of year that farangs celebrate
events that occurred 2012 years ago and everyone in Thailand celebrates the
coming of New Year, Nigel provided funds for the children to have a party. Thai
people enjoy a party and Thai children are no exception.
Another charity group in Sriracha wanted to be part of this festive event and
brought along some guests and presents for all the children. Everyone was
blessed with the arrival of some monks who seemed to enjoy the event as much as
everyone.
Music was played throughout, games played with an energy that would have left
the adults exhausted. Prizes were won, the food was excellent and sufficient to
sustain everyone all evening. I think the children are looking forward, in
anticipation, to a repeat next year or even next week given the opportunity.
If anyone would like to make a donation to the A.T.C.C. please contact Ja …or
William at Pattaya Sports Club 0861522754.
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Ja and daughter Prim.
The monks have a good time also.
Everyone receives a present.
The night is still young.
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Amigos Eye Care arrives in Thailand
No more straining his eyes when this young boy
does his homework.
Derek Franklin
For almost forty years Amigos Eye Care has traveled the world providing
specialist eye care for those who are unable to afford visits to an
ophthalmologist.
From countries in Central and South America, Fiji, the islands of the Caribbean,
Africa, Eastern Europe and South East Asia, volunteers have provided eye care
and eye glasses to almost one hundred thousand people in twenty countries and
they have now arrived in Thailand.
Invited by the Father Ray Foundation, the nine volunteers, two ophthalmologists
and seven students, traveled from the United States and checked the eyes of more
than five hundred local elderly people and one hundred children and students.
Most people will experience deterioration of their sight as they reach middle
age, but the cost of visiting an eye care specialist and paying for expensive
glasses is too much for many.
For many of Pattaya’s more mature residents the weakening of their eyesight as
the years pass by becomes so severe that life becomes one big blur. For many
children who do not have access to regular eye testing their school work will
suffer or they will suffer from headaches from trying to read a book.
But now the world of the elderly in Pattaya and the children and students of the
Father Ray Foundation will be a lot brighter and clearer thanks to Amigos Eye
Care.
Several children were prescribed
sunglasses to protect their eyes.
The volunteers from Amigos Eye
Care gave up their time to travel to Pattaya.
These mature residents of Pattaya
wait to see the Ophthalmologist.
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Going for gold
Badminton is played by players with varying degrees
of disability.
Derek Franklin
At the London 2012 Paralympics, Thailand won four gold medals, two in the
relatively unknown sport of boccia. Played by individuals or as a team sport,
boccia is similar to bocce, which in turn is closely related to the sports of
bowls and petanque.
Boccia, a sport of skill and precision.
The sport was originally designed to be played by people with cerebral palsy,
but now included athletes with other severe disabilities, and it is one of the
many sports available to the students at the Redemptorist Vocational School for
People with Disabilities.
The students are currently in training to compete in the National Games for
People with Disabilities which will take place in Chiang Mai from the 14th -
19th January.
The majority of athletes representing Chonburi will be from the Pattaya school
and apart from the boccia players the team will also include swimmers, fencers,
pistol shooters, archers, power lifters and wheelchair racers as well as those
athletes who play wheelchair basketball, badminton, volleyball, takraw and
wheelchair tennis.
The local athletes will face stiff opposition from other participating athletes,
but we can all wish them the best of luck and hope they bring a large haul of
gold medals back to Pattaya.
It takes many hours of training to become a
champion.
One of Pattaya’s champion throwers.
Wheelchair basketball-one of the most popular
sports.
Wheelchair fencing.
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Thank you Pattaya
Father Peter Pattarapong C.Ss.R.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish all the people of Pattaya a
very healthy, happy and prosperous 2013.
As President of the Father Ray Foundation I would also like to say thank you for
all the support that you have given to the 850 children and students at the
Father Ray Foundation during the past year. Without the support we receive from
the people of Pattaya, both Thais and expatriates, the blind students would not
receive an education and those living with a disability would not receive the
vocational training they need to become independent and worthwhile members of
society.
Without your support the underprivileged children of Pattaya, those who have
been orphaned, abused, neglected and abandoned, would not have a safe place to
live and grow.
Thank you for dropping your spare change into our donation boxes at cash
registers throughout Pattaya; last year you donated more than one and a quarter
million baht.
On World Food Day in October you donated five hundred thousand baht’s worth of
food to help feed our children and in early December you donated more than ten
thousand kilograms of rice and almost one million baht in cash during the SOS
Rice Appeal 2012. On World Sight Day you did not forget our blind students.
Thanks also to City Hall, various Rotary and Lions Clubs, sports organizations,
businesses and expat groups who have organized activities to raise money for our
children and students. To the individuals who have selflessly sponsored meals so
our children can have a special treat or donated food, clothes, stationary,
toys, sports equipment and toiletries I thank you.
Thanks also to Pattaya Mail for helping us spread the word about our work;
without whom not many of you would know of the Father Ray Foundation.
I would like to once again thank you for your support and may God bless you all.
Father Peter Pattarapong C.Ss.R.
President Father Ray Foundation
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