The colourful parade of
international youth drew a lot of attention and donations as they walked
along Pattaya streets.
Pattaya Mail Reporters
Nearly 200 youngsters came together for Thailand’s flood
victims as the Rotary District 3340 Youth Exchange committee organized a
parade through central Pattaya.
Forty six international exchange students, in Thailand
for a year, felt that they wanted to do something to help the victims of one
of the worst floods in Thailand’s history, so they convinced Onanong
Siripornmanut, chair person of the District 3340 Youth Exchange program to
organize a fund raising drive utilizing their manpower and talents to
achieve that goal.
Onanong set the wheels in motion and came up with a plan
to organize the Rotary Youth Exchange Help Flood Victims march through the
streets of Pattaya.
Pattaya Mayor Ithipol Kunplome, pledging wholehearted
support for the Rotarians, gave permission to let the exchange students
organize the parade on November 25 from the Town-in-Town Hotel to Central
Festival Pattaya Beach.
Jintana Maensurin, head of the Pattaya City education
development department contributed generously, assigning a marching band to
lead the procession followed by 100 children from Pattaya School No. 3. In
addition more than 40 children from the Interact Club of Banglamung School
also took part in the charity march.
During the march down Central Road, students from the
USA, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Venezuela, France and Japan spanned out on both
sides of the road, donation boxes in hand, soliciting contributions from
motorists, pedestrians and shopkeepers, all of whom were quite moved by the
charitable gesture of the foreign children and were seen to be generously
putting money into the yellow boxes.
Saran Tantichamnan, general manager of the Central
Festival Pattaya Beach also gave extraordinary support to the children’s
fund raising efforts. A stage was set up at the open air premises where the
talented kids performed their respective national dances, including a very
professional magic show by a boy from Mexico. In addition, his staff served
cold drinks, sandwiches and pizzas, much to the delight of the assembled
kids.
The Bangkok Hospital Pattaya also took part in the
charity event, supplying an ambulance together with nurses to accompany the
kids on the long march. The medical team also kept watch over the children
during the festivities at the Central Festival Pattaya Beach.
That same evening, a Rotary fellowship party was held at
the Town-in-Town hotel where the children reprised their much-admired show.
To raise even more funds raffles and an auction of donated items were also
held.
All in all the efforts of the Rotary Exchange Students
throughout the day raised 55,055 baht which was presented to Rotary District
3340 Governor Thirayud Watanathirawood for use in flood relief efforts.
Thai and international
exchange students combined charity with a lot of fun as they received
donations into their yellow boxes.
The carnival atmosphere
created by the students had the crowd cheering clapping and dancing.
PDG Thongchai Lortrakanon,
Chair of the District 3340 Youth Exchange Foundation can happily say
“Mission: Accomplished”.
Zims Magic Show was absolutely
awesome.
Mayor Ithipol Kunplome (3rd
left) flanked by PDG Pratheep Malhotra, an exchange student, YE Chair
Onanong Siripornmanut, PP Maria Suvathana and Nigel Quennell during the show
at Central Festival.
PDG Peter Malhotra Co-Chair
of the YE program on stage surrounded by the internationality of Rotary.
