Sports celebrities from USA and UK will be promoting charities in Thailand. This was the message at the Sunday, February 3 meeting of the Pattaya City Expats Club. Peter Banner followed up a successful career in professional rugby with an equally successful career in raising funds for charities based on personal appearances by retired sports icons. Peter mentioned that he played professional rugby in the United Kingdom and Australia for 20 years; and that for the last 14 years, he has specialized in fundraising for charities. In the process, Peter has worked with many great English and American sports icons, such as Sir Ian Botham, Sir Bobby Robson, Mike Tyson and Sugar Ray Leonard.
Peter has lived in Thailand for the last two years. His company, Legacy of Legends, is registered in Thailand. For 2013, Legacy of Legends has contracted with a number of sports personalities to make personal appearances in Pattaya, Bangkok and Singapore. The appearances typically involve gala dinners; sometimes, they also involve other events, such as special golf days and auctions of sports memorabilia. Events are planned for April, June and during October/November. Proceeds from these events will be donated to three charities in Thailand: (1) the Mechai Viravaidya Foundation, (2) Women with a Mission, and (2) Operation Smile Thailand.
Peter Banner from the Legacy of Legends.Org introduces his organisation to members and guests of Pattaya City Expats Club. Legacy of Legends raises money for charities and other worthwhile causes such as the Mechai Viravaidya Foundation, Women with a Mission, and Operation Smile Thailand, by having sporting greats make guest appearances, and by auctioning memorabilia such as autographed sports wear, or e.g. signed golf score cards.
The Mechai Viravaidya Foundation is involved in youth philanthropy and education. Mechai is well known to PCEC members as the founder of the Population and Community Development Association (PDA). Website: www.mechaifoundation .org/mechaihome.asp.
Women with a Mission describes itself as a “private voluntary organisation” working to make a positive difference in the lives of children living along the Thailand/Myanmar border and families in Chonburi province. Website: http://mywwm.org.
Al Serrato advises PCEC members of the upcoming Members Dinner.
Operation Smile Thailand is a volunteer medical services organisation that provides reconstructive facial surgery to indigent children and young adults. Website: http://thailand.operationsmile.org.
Peter said that the sports personalities he has worked with have all been big-hearted people, and very generous with their time. Peter told several stories about Mike Tyson, the boxer, including one about having to drag Mike away from a visit to a children’s hospital in London, England after he had been there two hours. Mike had been teaching some of the kids a nursery rhyme. After he left the hospital, Mike bought and autographed boxing gloves for each of the kids and their parents.
Open Forum MC Roy Albiston advises members to keep coins, batteries and magnets away from key cards, credit cards, etc., (e.g., in a different pocket), as they can erase the information on the card, often leaving you ‘up the creek without a key card’.
At the conclusion of the speech, Peter auctioned off a large framed montage of photos of golf greats Tiger Woods and Jack Nicholas including their autographs. Peter noted that the autographs came with certificates of authenticity. Peter said that the proceeds received from the auction would be donated to one of the three charities of the winning bidders choosing. Bidding started at 11,000 baht and ended with the winning bid of 28,000 baht.
Legacy of Legends plans to bring Sugar Ray Leonard to Pattaya for two appearances during the first half of April: one, a gala dinner at the Centara Pattaya Hotel; and the other, a golf day and auction. The company also plans to bring a number of former Manchester United Stars to Pattaya in the first week of June. Finally, the company has tentative plans to bring Mike Tyson to Pattaya in October or November. (In all cases, the sports celebrities will also be visiting Bangkok and Singapore.)
Master of Ceremonies Richard Silverberg then provided an update on upcoming events and called on Roy Albiston to conduct the Open Forum where questions are asked and answered about Expat living in Thailand; Pattaya in particular.
For more information about the many activities of the Pattaya City Expats Club, visit their website at www.pattayacityexpatsclub.com.
Following his talk, Peter auctioned off this framed set of score cards, signed by Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus. Anne Smith was the lucky winner.
