As the high season approaches in Pattaya we continue to enjoy the tropical temperatures; however, for many in the north of the country, especially those in the more mountainous areas, it is time to prepare for the coldest time of the year.
Therefore, the recent donation of over 400 sheets and 34 bed covers from Bangkok Hospital Pattaya to the Rotary Club Eastern Seaboard ‘Wrap up a Child Project’ came at the perfect time.
(L to R) RCES Charter President Martin Brands, Janya (Nui) Rattanaliam, Head of the BHP International Marketing (Domestic) Department; Nurse Apissada Unsuphan, BHP Patient Advocate Team; Dr Pichit Kangwolkij, Daniel & Marianne Biel, Carl & Joy Dyson, and Neil Maniquiz, Manager of the BHP International Marketing Division.
At the handover on the morning of Tuesday the 4th of November, Dr Pichit Kangwolkij, CEO of Bangkok Hospital Group Eastern Region & Director of the Bangkok Hospital Pattaya, stated that he fully recognizes there is a desperate need for these types of projects to be initiated. By working with the Rotary Club Eastern Seaboard, he is confident that the blankets and sheets would go to those who need them most.
Pichit also stated that we have to bear in mind that, at this time of year, just a short distance to the west or north of Pattaya, young children and the elderly suffer from the effects of hypothermia.
Members of the Rotary Club Eastern Seaboard, including Past President Carl Dyson and Charter President Martin Brands, were on hand to gratefully receive the donation and to thank Dr Pichit and his team for their kind generosity.
The club, whilst working on water projects in the mountain regions of Thailand, found a desperate need for warm clothes and bedding for the children and the elderly.
The temperatures from October through to January regularly drop below 10C in the mountainous regions and warm clothing and bedding is essential for survival. The club noted that many of the children normally wear a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, and that the low income for these families means that life can be most uncomfortable and sadly sometimes lethal.
Last year the club was assisted by Swiss International Airlines, Bangkok Airways and the Centara Hotel Group, and this year members are delighted that Bangkok Hospital Pattaya has decided to recycle their old bedding and to work with the RCES to give a great boost to the Wrap Up a Child project.
Now the RCES is preparing for the Pattaya International Ladies Club Holiday Bazaar which will be held on Sunday the 23rd of November at the Holiday Inn, where they will be selling goodie bags that members of the public can purchase for a child at a cost of only 100 baht. The club will then deliver these along with the sheets and bed covers to the remote mountain villages to make sure that the items are received by those far less fortunate than ourselves.
