Jesters Care for Kids Charity Drive 2012, Sponsored by Glencore International and Canadian Jackalope Open
Our September events are coming up fast and the adrenaline is starting to kick in now that there is only 57 days left until our Children’s Fair on Sunday, September 9th. And, that means we are not only preparing vigorously for the Fair, but also intensifying our 15th annual campaign to raise money for deprived kids in need of safe shelter and educational options.
The culmination of our fund-raising efforts is generally perceived to be in September to coincide with our annual events, but the fact of the matter is that we now seek donations year round.
We provided Paew, a 14-year-old girl crippled from birth, with a bigger wheelchair, along with her ration of rice and milk. Her father stands on the left, next to the deputy mayor of Nongprue.
After all, we like to be able to take on new projects whenever they might arise during the year, and moreover, we now have monthly commitments to three of our core beneficiaries. Collectively, they require 588,000 baht over the year, which is apportioned to them on a monthly basis.
The mainstay projects in question are as follows:
Ban Jing Jai Orphanage in Nongprue is on Nernplabwan Road, which currently is home for 84 kids. Piangtah is in charge of this facility and we have been helping her and ‘her kids’ since 2006.
From the beginning, we provided them with extensive building renovations and additions to keep up with their burgeoning number of orphans. Since 2008, we have also covered their monthly food costs and utilities with a 30,000 baht stipend. (Note: They have finally received their official status and are now known as the Ban Jai Jing Foundation.)
Khao Baisri Special Education in Sattahip off Hwy 331 just north of the intersection with Hwy 332 is under the tutelage of Boonchu, an ambitious woman determined to assist disabled children to the utmost.
We have been assisting them since 2005, mostly with building improvements, including a major construction in 2009, when we built a classroom-cum-physical therapy and sensory room in a joint venture with the Herrod Foundation.
Somchai and his family with the disabled boy, Flook, who we provided with a side car for his motorcycle and now a refrigerator. Bernie and Nongprue Deputy Mayor Anek Patana-Ngam are standing to the right.
We continue to take on projects there and often work together with the Pattaya International Ladies Club (PILC) and Pattaya Sports Club (PSC).
Although the parents of the kids are generous in their support of the school, they still fall short in terms of meeting costs for basic necessities. So we also give them 10,000 baht a month for shopping trips at Tesco Lotus in Ban Chang for bulk food, cleaning supplies and toiletries.
Share Love with a Friend Project in cooperation with Sam and the Nongprue Municipality is aimed at augmenting the diets of disabled kids of impoverished families in the area.
Initially, in June last year, we started supplying 6000 baht a month for rice distribution to these families, but since then we have bumped it up to 9000 baht, so we could also include milk.
We personally go along on these outings to see where the foodstuff goes and to discern how we might be able to help further. And, as a result, we have found several ‘special cases’, or persons, who needed additional assistance, such as wheelchairs, walking aids, as well as essential furniture, appliances, and modifications to their motorbikes to accommodate side cars so as to facilitate the parents getting around with their disabled kids.
The benefits of these monthly trips to the above projects, not only allow us to monitor the processes, but also to stay in direct touch with the very kids and parents we are supporting. Doing the latter gives us continuous impetus to stay the course and keep moving forward.
If you too would like to help the underprivileged children, please visit us at www.care4kids.info and/or www.facebook.com/jesterscare.forkids.
Please also remember that our main events in Pattaya are: the Children’s Fair, Sunday, September 9th and Gala Party Night Saturday, September 22nd.
