Usually late May is a busy time for Chiang Mai International Rotary Club as children return to school and our service projects kick-off for a new school year. But not this year. School reopening is delayed. Private schools are online. Chiang Mai is in a type of lockdown. The effect on the local economy is devastating and apparent to anyone driving or walking in the city. While some venues are open, people are reluctant to venture out because the current Covid variant is virulent.
Fortunately, we have Zoom for our meetings and it's proven to be a great way to keep up with members overseas. Some have been "trapped" there for over a year. And, of course, we are using it now for meetings with our local partners, also.
The Thai government is moving closer to getting "shots in the arms" of people, but every day has been full of conflicting government announcements in May. At first we thought they were just jerking around the foreign residents, but we've come to realize that the Thai people are as confused. This being said, my most recent best recommendation is that foreigners resident in Chiang Mai province register their desire to receive a Covid-19 vaccination via this form: www.cm-healthcare.net/CMCVR/If you don't receive a confirmation email soon after completing the form, then you didn't succeed, so do it again.
If you went to one of the superstores and "registered" but didn't get a confirmed vaccination appointment, then they probably just binned your information. Please click on the link above and "register" again.
Why bother? Soon, the kids will be back in school and we'll be able to do the School Vision Screening Project. The kids won't be able to receive the Covid-19 vaccine (no vaccine is approved for children), won't show symptoms, but will be able to spread the disease. The average age of our club members is 70.5 years. So far, none (to our knowledge) of us have contracted Covid-19. The outcome might not be good if we do.
As RY 2020-2021 comes to its end, this will be my last posting on this segment; in the next edition of this bulletin PE Dylan will be sharing with the club his thoughts during RY 2021-2022.
IPP John has in good humor (or humour) referred to my last month as president as an opportunity to perform my swan song. Being curious about this “opportunity”, a little bit of research yielded the following: The term swan song originates from the legend that, while they are mute during the rest of their lives, swans sing beautifully and mournfully just before they die.
This isn't actually the case - swans, even the inaccurately named Mute Swans, have a variety of vocal sounds and they don't sing before they die. The legend was known to be false as early as the days of ancient Rome, when Pliny the Elder refuted it in "Natural History", AD 77 (book 10, chapter xxxii: olorum morte narratur flebilis cantus, falso, ut arbitror, aliquot experimentis), states: "observation shows that the story that the dying swan sings is false."
This has been an interesting and challenging Rotary Year globally and also for our club. We have seen last year’s RI Convention and this year’s RI Convention having to go virtual. We went from face-to-face meetings to ZOOM meetings only back to face-to-face meetings and now back to ZOOM meetings for all of our club related meetings. Our fund-raising opportunities were significantly impacted by Covid-19, as were our service projects. We witnessed in Northern Thailand and Chiang Mai the painful impact on local residents of a tourist-focused economy that collapsed. We were still able to carry out our service projects, but in a very limited manner.
There were bright spots during this Rotary Year. Our membership grew. None of our members were infected with Covid-19. Our inability to fundraise was mitigated by the generosity of several benefactors who contributed generously to our club. Our club was highlighted in The Rotary Magazine.
This coming year will again present challenges for our club members, our club board and our President Dylan. Hopefully, we will be seeing Covid-19 vaccinations being available for foreigners who wish to receive them. Being vaccinated should reduce the negative consequences of being infected with Covid-19. The Ministry of Education may require us to be vaccinated before we can be on school grounds. As our projects likely will involve contact with children who have not been vaccinated, we have a responsibility to each other and these students to follow government guidelines.
“To be good, and to do good, is all we have to do.” ― John Adams
"Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much." - Helen Keller
“If you light a lamp for someone else it will also brighten your path.” Buddha
In Mid-May, longtime CMIRC Rotarian Craig Clark lost his wife Ann to pancreatic cancer. Craig and Ann had been living at their U.S. home in Park Rapids, Minnesota, so that Ann could be near the Mayo Clinic which helped her fight this terrible disease for over two years! But CMIRC Rotarians and others who knew Craig and Ann when they lived in Chiang Mai, know what a power couple they were for doing good in Thailand!
Even while fighting cancer Ann was thinking of the ways that she and those who love and respect her could continue to do good in Thailand. Ann grew up as a farm girl and many of the projects that Craig and Ann supported involved agriculture, so Craig and Ann asked that CMIRC establish a memorial fund where those who wish to honor Ann and improve life in Thailand could make contributions. The CMIRC Board met, and created the:
Ann Gfeller Clark Memorial Sustainable Agriculture in Thailand Fund
(Ann’s Fund)
The fund will honor Ann’s memory and help farmers learn how to farm sustainably and profitably in Thailand. For those farmers and agriculture students who receive grants from Ann’s Fund, there is one condition stipulated by Ann and Craig: they must be willing be pass on the gift. That is, the recipient must agree that after completion of the grant, he or she will give back to the community in kind, with service, teaching others, or in cash.
Those interested in helping build this fund in Ann’s memory can contact our CMIRC Treasurer Nancy Lindley, nllindley@msn.com if you live in Thailand, or the Thai Thaim Foundation (also founded by Ann and Craig) in Park Rapids, Minnesota, if you live in the USA, and/or wish to make your contribution tax deductible in the USA. Thai Thaim Treasurer, Bob Suderman bobsud@gmail.com can help with these arrangements.
In January of this year, we lost Bob Carroll (left), former CMIRC Rotarian and active volunteer in our Chiang Mai community. Bob was very passionate about three of our CMIRC service projects: The Children’s Water Safety and Drowning Prevention Program, the BEAM Education Foundation GED and Scholarship Program and the Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF) B.K. Kee Patient House (a residence for children in need of specialty care in Chiang Mai and their families).
After Bob’s death and in consultation with Bob’s family in the USA, CMIRC created The Bob Carroll Memorial BEAM Scholarship Fund. Bob’s friends and family donated significant funds in his memory this year and with those funds CMIRC has been able to sponsor the fees for 17 students to take the U.S. GED High School Diploma Equivalency Exam (@US$300 each).
At its most recent meeting, the CMIRC Board voted to provide scholarships for three BEAM GED Program graduates who are studying nursing at Chiang Mai University (CMU). Each nursing student will have 25% of his/her annual tuition paid by CMIRC using funds raised from the Bob Carroll Memorial BEAM Scholarship appeal. CMIRC has committed to fund these students for each year they have remaining in the CMU Nursing Program.
In return, CMIRC asks that each student do a 3-month internship each year at the BCMF Mae Sot program and at the BCMF B.K. Kee Patient House in Chiang Mai. We at CMIRC think Bob would have really appreciated the giving back through the internship aspect of this program and that, with the cooperation between BEAM and BCMF, CMIRC has found a way to assist two of the programs Bob loved the most.
Dear Reader, since the Bob Carroll Memorial BEAM Scholarship Fund is making multi-year commitments to students, we ask that you consider giving your support to this effort. You can contact CMIRC Treasurer Nancy Lindley at NLLindley@msn.com to learn how to help the future education of these nursing students and to help them continue their important internship service to BCMF.
Thanks to Bob's legacy to the club, and to Bob’s family and friends along with many other donors who help make this scholarship fund possible!!
In early April, Chiang Mai was engulfed in a third wave of Covid-19 infection, with a new, more infectious variant. In-person dining in restaurants and bars, permitted for several months, was restricted to take-out or home delivery of food and many restaurants simply shutdown. Gyms, movie theaters, spas, pools and massage parlours were closed and once again many local residents found themselves out of work. However, unlike a year ago, there weren't the free food distribution programs evident at temples and some businesses. Yet people are hungry.
As we did a year ago, Chiang Mai International Rotary Club realized we had to help hungry local residents. Rotarians Bill T. and Nicha researched several programs, with on-site visits and, based on their recommendation, the CMIRC Board recently decided to contribute each month to the Work Kitchen Project in Muang (central) Chiang Mai. This program was recommended by our long-time partner Sallo Polak, the founder of Philanthropy Connections Foundation.
The Work Kitchen Project isn't just a food give-away. Instead, it helps poor families and others who may be disabled or homeless, to earn their own money (200 THB per day) by doing work in their community while providing lunch during work hours. This project is managed by Opor Akira, who runs Chiang Mai Trust. Some of us may know him as the owner and manager of the popular North Gate Jazz Co-op. He's committed to improving Chiang Mai through Chiang Mai Trust, which works with The Chiang Mai Arts and Cultural Museum, Chiang Mai University, Community Gardens and community leaders. Opor believes "it's important for the community to have the collective memories and feeling of how and what they can do to make change for community with their own hands".
CMIRC is supporting the residents in a location behind Chiang Mai Ram Hospital and Kad Suan Kaew mall. It's shown on the map within the red markers. It's just one of several communities that are part of the Work Kitchen Project. They have the support of Thai PBS and hope that with this publicity they can expand so more communities can help themselves. At this location, the program costs about 10,000 THB per week, so our support covers about 50% of the cost. Additional donations would be welcome. Bill T. and Nicha will be visiting the project and reporting on progress from time-to-time.
June marks the end of another successful Rotary Year for the CMIRC Children’s Water Safety and Drowning Prevention Program (CWSDPP). Almost 500 4th-grade children in Chiang Mai and Phrao have received 15 hours of water safety and survival swimming instruction! So, it’s time to start thinking about next year’s (our 7th year) program, which begins July 1!! We have just submitted our proposal to the CMIRC Service Project Committee (SPC) requesting continued support for the CWSDPP for RY 2021-2022. Here are some of the highlights of that proposal:
Background:
The CMIRC CWSDPP has been in operation for six years and it was one of the early efforts at community service in CMIRC. To date, working with our partners Kru Payu Swim, Bronco Kids Sports Club, the Chiang Mai Municipal Schools, the Rotary Club of Chiang Mai Wattana, the Rotary Club of Patong Beach, the Banya Migrant Learning Centre in Phuket, and the Warm Heart Foundation in Phrao, we have taught survival swimming and water safety to approximately 2,500 4th-grade children.
In addition to CMIRC funds, we have received substantial financial support from the Safe Child Thailand Foundation (SCT) (U.K-based.), 2017 and 2019, the Australian Embassy’s Direct Aid Program (DAP), 2019 and 2021, British Community for the Needy in Thailand (BCTFN), 2019 and 2020, Minnesota-based Rotary Clubs, the Thai Thaim Foundation, and private donors. During 2020-2021 the Grand Monadnock Rotary Club of New Hampshire donated for children’s swim equipment. While the CWSDPP in Chiang Mai and Phrao is fully funded by donors, the CWSDPP still relies on the CMIRC to be the sponsor and coordinator of the CWSDPP in Chiang Mai and Phrao.
Strategy:
Since drowning is the leading cause of death for children (ages 1 to 14) in Thailand, we plan to continue seeking partners both governmental and non-governmental organizations as well as philanthropic organizations to build and fund a network of sustainable survival swimming and water safety programs for 4th-grade students (9 to 10 years old) using the internationally recognized Royal Lifesaving Society curriculum. We hope to teach many children survival swimming, but just as importantly, we hope to become a model for government, school-based programs nationwide.
The service mission of CMIRC is to improve children’s safety, health, and education in Northern Thailand. The CMIRC-Kru Payu Swim Children’s Water Safety and Drowning Prevention Program (CWSDPP) chose to focus on children’s safety and to address one of the leading causes of death for children in Asia: drowning.
The CMIRC CWSDPP is now operating in three locations, Chiang Mai (all 11 municipal schools), Phrao (at 11 local schools) , and the BanYa Burmese Migrant Learning Center in Phuket, and we are cooperating with a program we helped to establish in Phuket Province operated by the Rotary Club of Patong Beach. In 2020, at the request of the Rotary Club of Chiang Mai Wattana (RCCMW), we added the Wat Suan Dok School to our program with two additional classes for their 4th graders, one funded by RCCMW and one by CMIRC.
Goals for RY 2021-2022:
Continue our CWSDPP at all 11 Chiang Mai Municipal Schools and Wat Suan Dok School (11 to 13 classes, depending on the possible combinations of classes for smaller schools).
When possible, continue our program at the Ban Ya Migrant Learning Centre (MLC) in Phuket Province. This program is currently on hold due to delays in Thai governmental permission for MLCs to reopen due to Covid-19 concerns.
Expand to at least one other location through the Rotary Network; there is currently great interest in adopting our program at the Rotary Club Royal Hua Hin (RCRHH).
Add a lice eradication component to all project locations and classes.
Actions Required:
Continue building and training a swim instructor training staff here in Chiang Mai.
Maintain current governmental and non-governmental organizational relationships, especially with the Municipal Schools, the Warm Heart Foundation, and Rotary Clubs in Thailand and abroad.
Pursue a continuation of support from the Park Rapids, Minnesota Rotary, the Grand Monadnock Rotary Club, New Hampshire, the Thai Thaim Foundation, and our current large private donors, such as Bob Ashley (funder of Ban Ya MLC), Anonymous (funder of the 2021-2022 Phrao CWSDPP), and Richard Murray (funder of a CWSDPP school).
Apply to reinstate funding from The British Community in Thailand Foundation for the Needy (under the auspices of the British Embassy-Bangkok) for 2022-2023.
That’s the plan for Rotary Year 2021-2022!!!
Finally, we’d like to thank all the organizations listed below for their continued support, with special thanks this month to The Rotary Club of Grand Monadnock for providing funding for replacement swim equipment needed for this coming year’s programs. Their donation of US$1250 (39,000 Baht) was used to buy equipment for our Phrao and Chiang Mai Children’s Water Safety and Drowning Prevention Programs. Here is a list of what we were able to purchase with the money donated for the 4th-graders in our program:
64 Girls Swimsuits
56 Boys Swimsuits
20 Swim caps
36 Goggles
6 Noodle floats
300 Rotary medals for the children who complete the course.
THANK YOU Grand Monadnock Rotary Club!!
Now let’s hope that the measures to contain Covid-19 in Thailand are successful and that our 4th-graders in Chiang Mai, Phrao, and Banya Migrant Learning Centre will be back in the water by August!!!
CMIRC Children’s Water Safety and Drowning Prevention Team and Sponsors:
Not much to report this month since all of our CMIRC School Vision Screening Project (CMIRC SVSP) activities are municipal-school-based and all Thai municipal schools have been closed due to Covid-19 precautions. We are hoping for a June 14 or July 1 reopening of the schools.
But we will not start our program until our volunteers have had the chance to be vaccinated. So, this gives us time to review what we accomplished in 2020 and to inform you of what we plan to accomplish in 2021-2022.
What we accomplished last year (2020):
Here are some statistics that demonstrate the impact our program has had in 2020:
Number of schools served: 12 (All 11 Chiang Mai Municipal Schools and Wat Suan Dok School)
Total number of children screened: 842
Number of 3rd and 5th grade children screened (our target groups): 724
Number of children in other grades identified by teachers screened: 118
Number of reading glasses distributed: 17
Number of prescription glasses distributed: 132
Percentage of target group receiving glasses: 13% (96 children)
Percentage of special teacher identified children receiving glasses: 45% (53 children)
So, a total of 149 elementary school children predominantly from very poor families have directly benefited from our CMIRC SVSP this past year
Strategy for 2021-2022:
Continue the project in the Chiang Mai municipal schools and the Wat Suan Dok School in partnership with Optician Khun One at Chom Jun Optic, the Rotary Club of Chiang Mai Wattana, and, if pediatric ophthalmological surgery is needed, the Rotary Club of Chiang Mai North.
Goals for 2021-2022:
Provide vision screening and free glasses for those who need them for all 3rd and 5th grade students at the 11 Chiang Mai municipal schools and Wat Suan Dok School beginning in the first term of the 2021-2022 school year (September), Covid-19 precautions permitting, and continuing into the second term of the 2021-2022 school year (November, December, January, February).
Action Required 2021-2022:
CMIRC project champion has coordinated with the municipal schools and Optician One on a vision screening schedule, the municipal schools and Optician One have agreed to begin in September or November 2021 and to examine children onsite at the schools and, when needed, write and fill prescriptions for children who have been screened by CMIRC SVSP volunteers.
Through Optician One, obtain lenses from optician at Saint Peter Eye Hospital and have them fitted to frames here in Chiang Mai. Children’s frames have been supplied by Eyewear Designs of Bethpage, NY, USA.
CMIRC SVSP volunteers and Optician One meet the children to deliver their new glasses and instruct them on use and care of the glasses.
The screenings in 2021-2022 will also include a follow-up examination with the children who received glasses through our program in 2020 (most will be 4th and 6th-graders at the same schools).
So, we are proceeding with planning for the 2021-2022 school year, probably beginning our screenings of 3rd and 5th graders in September or November (October is a school vacation period). We are hoping that all of our volunteers will be vaccinated by then so that it will be safe for them to enter the schools where none of the children are vaccinated.
Finally, while our plans are coming together for the 2021-2022 Rotary Year, we have not yet found full funding for the project. The program cost per prescription including the optician’s fees, frames, and lenses this past year was about 600 Baht (US$20); the glasses are provided for free to the children. The total program budget for next year is estimated at about $3,000 US dollars.
If you wish to learn how you can help, please contact Project Champion John Schorr at johnkschorr@gmail.com or tel.: 66 (0)8 5030 2143
Due to the outbreak of Covid cases in April we had to pause our regular visits to the Burma Children Medical Fund's B.K.Kee Patient House. Still, CMIRC member Nick and I have been making supply drops every other week. Some of the items we bring are laundry soap, toothpaste, fresh fruit and varieties of noodle cup soups. This past delivery we also brought them some materials to work on for their English Language Learning binders. (Numbers 0-5)
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the generous contributions that Rotarian Raphael has made recently for our supply drops. Thank you Raphael!
On our most recent drop off we were informed that the patients had begun a new sewing project using some curtain fabric that had been donated by the students at Chiang Mai International School, (CMIS). It’s nice to see the residents of B.K.Kee House continue to develop their skills in creative ways. (bookbag, at right)
Previously, we were pleased to report that one of the younger male patients had shown an interest in the guitar that one of the CMIS students had brought on a prior visit. The student donated the guitar and it was a pleasant surprise to find out that (BCMF) employee Klao knows how to play.
At this time, as previously mentioned, we are no longer making regular visits to the house, only supply drops. As soon as the situation improves and we are instructed that regular visits may resume, I’ll be sure to let CMIRC members know.
Rotary Fellowships are international groups that share a common passion. Being part of fellowship is a fun way to make friends around the world and enhance your Rotary experience.
From MyRotary.org Recently, there has been confusion among some CMIRC members as to the status and purpose of Rotary Action Groups. They are not Rotary clubs, but they do serve a valuable role within Rotary.
Rotary Action Groups are independent, Rotary-affiliated groups made up of people from around the world (editor's note: not limited to Rotarians) who are experts in a particular field, such as economic development, peace, addiction prevention, the environment, or water.
Action groups offer their technical expertise and support to help clubs plan and implement projects to increase our impact, one of Rotary's strategic priorities. This support includes helping clubs find partners, funding, and other resources. Action groups can also help clubs and districts prepare grant applications, conduct community assessments, and develop plans to monitor and evaluate their projects. Read more about these activities in the Rotary Action Groups annual report. (editor's note: the purpose of a Rotary Action group is to help and support Rotary clubs, not vise versa.)
Anyone who wants to share their expertise to make a positive difference can join an action group. Only Rotarians, Rotaractors, and Rotary Peace Fellows can serve in leadership roles.
Contact or join a Rotary Action Group
Contact a Rotary Action Group to:
Get expert advice on planning and implementing service projects, including those funded by Rotary Foundation district and global grants
Connect with potential project partners, both within and outside of Rotary
Get help fundraising and obtaining resources for projects
Join a Rotary Action Group to share your expertise and make a difference in projects outside your club or district. To get involved, look at our directory and contact the action group you're interested in.
CMIRC members were not able to have their regular every other Sunday morning visits to the patients and their families at Burma Children Medical Fund B.K. Kee Patient House here in Chiang Mai where members socialize, play games, bring food and engage in craft projects with the patients and their families during May because the Patient House was closed to visitors during the upsurge in Covid-19 cases in Chiang Mai.
The first and third Fridays of the month Chiang Mai Expats Club breakfasts, where we promote CMIRC and swap "Change for Children" owl banks, were cancelled due for May to the upsurge in the Covid-19 cases in Chiang Mai.
Tuesday, May 4, first regular club meeting of the month was held on ZOOM. Our program was presented by local photo journalist Will Langston. More about Will here: https://www.willlangston.com/
Sunday, May 9, at 9 PM we had our 9@9 ZOOM meeting to stay in touch with our club members wherever they may be in the world.
Sunday, May 16, patients and caregivers at the Burma Children Medical Fund B.K. Kee Patient House worked on a sewing project.
Tuesday, May 18, a regular club meeting was held on ZOOM. The program was presented by the International Rescue Manager of Destiny Rescue Thailand https://www.destinyrescue.org/.
Friday, May 21, a meeting of the CWSDPP committee at Bronco Kids Sports Club to discuss plans for the coming Rotary Year.
Sunday, May 23, Chiang Mai International School Interact Club donated 10 PPE suits, 20 rolls of duct tape, red garbage bags and black garbage bags to the field hospital at the Chiang Mai International Exhibition and Convention Centre where COVID-19 patients are being treated.
Monday, May 24, Interested CMIRC members meet with representatives from BEAM Education Foundation via Google meetings to discuss plans for the BEAM online one year Conversational Partner Program beginning in June.
The needed protection measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have caused the cancellation of many events. Others are being conducted online and others have been postponed. Below is a list of events and their status, as we currently understand them. Please remember the situation is extremely fluid and things change daily. Some of our scheduled speakers may be willing to participate in online meetings. The latest news for CMIRC events is at: https://cmirotary.org/events/calendar
Here are just a few of the important dates for members of Chiang Mai International Rotary Club (CMIRC). These are opportunities to meet some of us and to meet other Rotarians from around the world!
Every other Sunday visits by club members to Burma Children Medical Fund's (BCMF) B. K. Kee Patient House to socialize, play games, do crafts with the patients and their families has been put on hold due to Covid-19 restrictions. Interested for the future? Contact Rotarian Bill Pierce.
1 June 2021 Service Project Committee Meeting, 4 pm via ZOOM. Annual project budgeting meeting. Contact SPC chair Dylan.
1 June 2021 CMIRC Club Meeting Meeting, 7 pm., with social time at 6:30 pm via ZOOM. The program will be presented by Evelind Schecter of Warm Heart Worldwide. More about the organization here:https://warmheartworldwide.org/Access to the meeting is meeting ID and password controlled. If interested in attending this meeting please contact secretary@cmirotary.org.
4 June 2021 Dylan Thomason's Birthday
9 June 2021 CMIRC "9 at 9" 9 pm Thai time. A ZOOM social meeting for members in and out of Thailand. Contact CP. Roger rogerklindley@gmail.com
15 June 2021 CMIRC Club Meeting Meeting, 7 pm., with social time at 6:30 pm via ZOOM. Guest Speaker is: Sarah Dodo of BEAM Education Foundation. Access to the meeting is meeting ID and password controlled. If interested in attending this meeting please contact secretary@cmirotary.org.
22 June 2021 Julia Merkt's Birthday
22 June 2021 CMIRC Board Meeting via Zoom 1:00 - 3:00 pm Contact CP. Roger rogerklindley@gmail.com
26 June 2021 District 3360 Club Presidents Installation via ZOOM. 7 pm - 9 pm. Social time at 6:30 pm. Contact CP Roger rogerklindley@gmail.com
29 June 2021 Club Assembly, 7 pm., with social time at 6:30 pm via ZOOM. Roger's Swan Song. Access to the meeting is meeting ID and password controlled. If interested in attending this meeting please contact secretary@cmirotary.org.
4 – 8 June 2022 - Rotary International Convention, Houston, Texas, USA
Rotary is not free; we give our hearts, we give our time and to some extent we give our money. Most of our heart, most of our time and most of our money goes to support our children’s projects. Yet we have operational expenses, for example, our website with its powerful tools such as this bulletin. We ask that you consider our sponsors for your needs.
The Lila Thai Massage Ex-Inmate Employment and Skill Development Center was established in 2014 by "Naowarat Thanasrisutharat" to help and support women being released from prison. The ladies receive a massage training course from certified massage instructors (ex-inmates who work for Lila Thai Massage); these programs are endorsed by and meet the requirements of the Chiang Mai Public Health Department. This project reduces the women conviction rates in Chiang Mai and helps to solve the societal problems that perpetuate the situation, bringing about our long-cherished dream for a better community. The quality of massage at Lila Thai Massage is consistently superb.
Royal Peninsula Hotel is an excellent international standard hotel located in the heart of Chiang Mai. They have 150 guest rooms with all amenities including free wi-fi. There is ample onsite, covered parking. The outdoor swimming pool and Jacuzzi are available to guests. There is both an indoor restaurant, featuring Thai cuisine and outdoor beer garden next to the swimming pool. The Royal Peninsula Hotel has two conference and banquet rooms, well decorated, with good acoustics. The staff at Royal Peninsula are very accommodating. The Chiang Mai International Rotary Club meets at the Royal Peninsula at 7:00 PM on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month, with many members and guests gathering about an hour before the meeting in the hotel's restaurant for fellowship and an optional meal, ordering from the restaurant's menu of reasonably-priced Thai food.
Our sponsors donate money that supports our operational expenses, freeing funds for the projects we love. Please give them your support.
This isn't actually the case - swans, even the inaccurately named Mute Swans, have a variety of vocal sounds and they don't sing before they die. The legend was known to be false as early as the days of ancient Rome, when Pliny the Elder refuted it in "Natural History", AD 77 (book 10, chapter xxxii: olorum morte narratur flebilis cantus, falso, ut arbitror, aliquot experimentis), states: "observation shows that the story that the dying swan sings is false."
In Mid-May, longtime CMIRC Rotarian Craig Clark lost his wife Ann to pancreatic cancer. Craig and Ann had been living at their U.S. home in Park Rapids, Minnesota, so that Ann could be near the Mayo Clinic which helped her fight this terrible disease for over two years! But CMIRC Rotarians and others who knew Craig and Ann when they lived in Chiang Mai, know what a power couple they were for doing good in Thailand! 
In January of this year, we lost Bob Carroll (left), former CMIRC Rotarian and active volunteer in our Chiang Mai community. Bob was very passionate about three of our CMIRC service projects: The Children’s Water Safety and Drowning Prevention Program, the 
On our most recent drop off we were informed that the patients had begun a new sewing project using some curtain fabric that had been donated by the students at 
From MyRotary.org Recently, there has been confusion among some CMIRC members as to the status and purpose of Rotary Action Groups. They are not Rotary clubs, but they do serve a valuable role within Rotary.
Tuesday, May 4,
Sunday, May 16, patients and caregivers at the 
