In order to help us raise funds for our 3 main
beneficiaries this year, we have decided to employ a new concept devised
by Phil Macdonald and David Smith of PMCI.
Up until now, we have relied mainly on lump sum donors
in the form of corporate sponsorship to raise money for the Jesters Care
for Kids Charity Drives.
With the increase in space at the new Fountain of Life
Children’s Center allowing them to accommodate more disadvantaged
children, and thus increase their operational costs, and the addition of
two new beneficiaries, the Pattaya Redemptorist School for the Blind in
Naklua and the Eastern Child Welfare Protection Institute in Huay Pong,
Rayong, we are looking for every way possible to maximize our efforts in
raising money this year. As a result, we intend to put to use PMCI’s
concept of pledging monthly donations over a 12-month period and target a
different database, in addition to our normal methods of raising money.
During a ‘soft launch’ at the Dusit Resort last
week for this new program, the response was very positive, offering
versatility and appeal to a wider range of potential donors. Several
persons have already signed up and ‘pledged’ for this program.
Additionally, this concept has the added benefit of now allowing us to
have funds coming in year round.
Presently, the types of pledges that available are:
Corporate Gold (2000 baht per month)
Corporate Silver (1000 baht per month)
Personal Gold (1000 baht per month)
Personal Silver (500 baht per month)
When one joins the Pledge program they will receive
a kit:
Framed Pledge Board
12 Pledge envelopes
Pledge Certificate
Documentation on how everything works.
One can join the pledge program by using our online
pledge form (www.care4kids .info/pledge), by contacting members of the
organizing committee for the Jesters Care for Kids Charity Drive, such as
Graham or Woody at [email protected], David Smith at pledge@
care4kids.info, or one of our Pledge Volunteer Collectors, soon to be
named. We will then set up appointment to see you and explain the program
and how to join.
The Pledge Volunteer Collectors will initially come
around with your Pledge Kit and then each successive month to collect your
pledge, issue you a receipt and update your pledge board.
We have high hopes for this Pledge for Kids concept and
believe that this may help us give significant help to our 3
beneficiaries.
In this vein, it is important that we mention that the
new Fountain of Life Children’s Center that was officially opened
recently was a wonderful windfall from gracious donors, such as the Oak
Foundation and the Japanese government. However, the nice new premises did
not come with any extra funding to run the new center. And now with the
new capacity to accommodate more children, the maintenance costs will
undoubtedly become higher.
This is where the Jesters and our fund-raising
associates come in. Our role at the center is, and always has been,
covering the majority of their operational expenses, especially those that
directly benefit the children.
Specifically:
We help provide more protein for the kids to make their
daily meals and snacks more nutritious.
We provide medical examinations and have funded various
surgeries and treatments, such as a heart operation for a 12-year old
girl, cleft palate surgery for a 7-year old girl, a sight-saving eye
operation for a 5-year old boy and extensive treatment for a 3-year old
boy with psoriasis.
We have made provisions for regular dental check ups,
including teaching the kids to brush their teeth and treating the numerous
infections and abscesses found in their mouths.
We help with the maintenance and running costs of the
vehicles that provide transport for the kids between the Center and their
homes in the slums.
We provide scholarships, which is the ultimate goal for
the center: prepare the kids for entering the government school system by
obtaining the proper documentation, providing rudimentary education and,
ultimately, funding their continued learning in the government schools.
These are examples of tangible results we get from
helping the center.
We also get the same gratifying outcome with our other
two beneficiaries: the Pattaya Redemptorist School for the Blind, which
provides housing, schooling and vocational training for blind children and
those mentally impaired, and the Eastern Child Welfare Protection
Institute in Huay Pong for orphans and abandoned children. We are
supplying the former with furniture, lockers, sun shades, and a new roof
for the gymnasium, while for the latter we are renovating a building that
houses the boys between the ages of 3 to 5.
All monies provided to the center and our other
beneficiaries are only paid out with official invoices and receipts.
If you are interested in helping us and you are not on
board already, please look at our Pledge for Kids program to see if it is
better suited for your getting involved to assist the deprived kids in the
area.
Chairman
of the weightlifting competition committee Maj. Gen. Phiboon Vichianwan
(center) announced all systems are go for Pattaya and Chonburi Province to
host the Asian Inter City III & Asian Youth Boys and Girls
Weightlifting Championships IV.