Sadly, the optimism of last month's CMIRC Bulletin, published in late September when cases were under control, has been dashed by the resurgence of Covid-19 cases in Chiang Mai province during October and our school-based programs and in-person meetings have been put on hold for now.
Meanwhile, settle down with your favorite beverage, appropriately socially distanced, to read our latest bulletin, below. As always, it's a little better if you click on the title of the story, where you will be taken to a webpage with a full-page view of the story. Enjoy!
I’m happy to announce the Chiang Mai International Rotary Club (CMIRC) is participating in its first Global Grant application. The CMIRC Board of Directors (BOD) has voted to partner with the Rotary Club of Fig Garden (Fresno, California) to launch the “Thailand Water and Sanitation Project GG-2233068”. The key participants from our club forr the next three years will be Project Champion Clarence Shettlesworth, Treasurer Nancy Lindley, Past President John Schorr Ph.D., Rotarian Niwatchai Suknaphasawat (Former Program Director w/Heifer International), and myself.
As your current President, I see this critically-important water project as both an opportunity and an ongoing challenge for our club to continue exploring the bigger picture when it comes to improving Child Safety, Health, and Education. After all, the power of clean, accessible water doesn’t just help families build better, safer lives through economic development, it also helps reduce the risk of disease and death and keeps children healthy so they can attend school when and where it's available in these underserved, isolated villages.
October has been another productive month for CMIRC. Rtns. Bill and Nicha continued to work tirelessly on our club’s “Free Food for the Poor” Initiative. They helped connect with the Urban Light Foundation and identify ways to provide food donations. They are also working with Chiang Mai Trust and the Human Rights and Development Foundation to supply bags of food to migrant labor camps with out-of-work residents. The CMIRC BOD has earmarked 320,000 Baht (40,000 per month) to fund these initiatives through the end of this Rotary Year (June 30, 2022).
On October 15, the club launched the 2021 Children’s Winter Clothing Appeal. This is the 6th year our club has organized this initiative, and the third year my wife (President-Elect Viki Thomason) and I have participated as the Project Champions. During the past two weeks, our club has already delivered three truckloads of donations to remote, hard-to-access villages in Chiang Mai, Nan, and Chiang Rai provinces. If you’re returning to Chiang Mai from colder climates, please consider bringing your no-longer-needed winter clothing back with you. While the city of Chiang Mai stays relatively warm throughout the year, the surrounding mountains get very cold (sometimes hitting zero). Your jackets, sweaters, and blankets do save lives!
Unfortunately, I have some bad news to share as well. Due to the rising number of COVID-19 infections throughout Chiang Mai, all municipal schools remain closed pending further notice from the local government. This doesn’t just mean that our Children’s Water Safety & Drowning Prevention Program (CWSDPP) and our School Vision Screening Program (SVSP) remain suspended, but this also means that thousands of local children are continuing to fall behind academically and socially.
In addition, the Burma Children Medical Fund B.K. Kee House continues to be strictly limited to supply drops, which thankfully are still being faithfully handled by Sergeant-at-arms Bill Pierce and Secretary Nick Dale every other week.
Despite these COVID-19 restrictions, fortunately our Teddy Trekkers continue to travel between Chiang Mai and Mae Sot due to the continuance of teddy bear donations. The purpose of this initiative is to provide “someone” to cuddle with and lift the spirits of patients who are alone, separated from their parents, family, and loved ones. Some teddies remain at the BCMF B.K. Kee Patient House to greet new patients; others are sent to Mae Sot where they bring joy to patients in both Thailand and Burma.
On October 26, PP John Schorr held a presentation via ZOOM for the Rotary Club of Royal Hua Hin on the CMIRC Children's Water Safety and Drowning Prevention Project. We are hopeful that his experience will help our club to assist another club in launching a survival swimming program in Hua Hin, just like we’ve done in Chiang Mai, Phrao, and Phuket. Drowning continues to be the leading cause of death for Thai children under the age of 15.
At present, Thailand is reporting 42.2% of its population is now fully vaccinated. While this is certainly good news, unfortunately, the Royal Peninsula Hotel, where we meet, has been converted into a temporary hospitel (e.g. a hotel-turned-hospital) for asymptomatic coronavirus patients. Naturally, this means that we will continue to meet virtually until further notice. If you would like to attend our Zoom meetings on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month, please contact secretary@cmirotary.org.
The 2021 Children’s Winter Clothing Appeal by the Chiang Mai International Rotary Club (CMIRC) has now been running for two weeks. Contrary to our cautious expectations, we have received a record amount of donations as of October 30. Our generous donors have supplied five truckloads of warm clothes, blankets, toys, and shoes so far. We are truly grateful for the commitment of our community. Keep up the great work!
Learning from previous experience, we’ve started the distribution of donations early, just a couple of days into the campaign. The timing seems perfect, as temperatures dropped to 10°C degrees last week on Doi Inthanon, the highest peak in Thailand.
Our first destination was the remote Lua village of Phou Khe in Nan Province near the Lao border. (pictured, above) It took an 18-hour drive on dangerous roads for our enthusiastic Project Champion President Dylan to deliver jackets, sweaters, and shoes exclusively donated by the students of Unity Concord International School (UCIS). A big shoutout to Interact Advisors Bill and Nicha for their help with coordinating with the Interactors!
Our second delivery was to a 300-member Palong hill tribe living on the Doi Ang Khang mountain in Nor Lea, Fang District of Chiang Mai Province, near the Myanmar border. (pictured, below) According to estimates, there are only around 2,000 Palongs in Thailand. It was 16 C when we arrived, and the locals reported that nighttime temperatures often hit zero in November, December, and January. Your much-needed warm clothing donations are being put to use right now.
President Dylan delivered the third truckload of jackets, sweaters, pants, kid shoes, and baby furniture to a 500-member Lahu hill tribe in Ban Huai Ya Sai, located in Mae Suai District of Chiang Rai Province, on the cold and dangerous Myanmar border. This load included donations from the Lanna International School Primary Campus. Well done, kids!
In the meantime, CMIRC Secretary Nick and Khun Pink stepped up and organized a private donation drive in their neighbourhood where they distributed flyers to promote the initiative and collected a sizeable amount of clothing donations in just a couple of days. Rotarian Colin constructed a reinforced “superbox” of wood as a replacement for one of our most popular outdoor donation boxes to withstand the elements better. Thank you for the help!
The way things are shaping up, we have no doubt that this will be CMIRC's best annual Children's Winter Clothing Appeal yet! We find donation boxes at Rimping Supermarkets and Makro stores to be overflowing with toys, diapers, and winter clothing items every single day.
Dear Chiang Mai residents, thank you for your generosity! To you, it might just be a sweater or a jacket but to those who receive your donation, it could mean the difference between sleeping warmly or freezing.
The Children's Winter Clothing Appeal by the Chiang Mai International Rotary Club continues to run until December 1, 2021. For more information on this project and the location of the donation drop-off points, please visit www.cmirotary.org/post/winter-clothing-appeal-2021.
We are all praying that Covid-19 is contained and life gets back to normal both here in Chiang Mai and around the world. For some of us there are inconveniences and others struggling to survive. Since the beginning of the pandemic CMIRC has distributed food/meals valued at nearly 800,000 baht and our efforts continue.
Currently we are focusing on two initiatives. With the first we assemble 100 food bags for migrant labor work camps in Chiang Mai, which house many out-of-work people on the margins of society. Each bag contains 2 kg of rice, 2 cans of fish, 6 packages of noodles, cooking oil, fish oil, milk, seasoning and sanitary napkins. We are coordinating the with Human Rights and Development Foundation and Chiang Mai Trust for distribution of the assembled bags. Often the recipients receive the bags with tears in their eyes and much expression of happiness.
Our second initiative is with Urban Light, a community center for boys and young men at risk of exploitation. Currently, their dedicated staff are not able to provide their core services due to Covid 19. Instead, they are providing meals for more than 300 families in need. CMIRC is donating nonperishable food items to the community center per their request.
During the month of October, CMIRC donated food valued at 37,364 baht and contributed 32 volunteer hours. 20,000 baht of that amount was from the club's General Fund, with the rest from cash donations and a voucher from the Thai government. Recently, the Board of CMIRC voted to increase the club's contribution to 40,000 baht/month. The need with both initiatives is vast, especially at the migrant labor camps. Any additional cash donations will be put to immediate use.
Please take a moment and think of an action to help someone struggling. If you take that action what for you is merely an inconvenience may create joy for someone. Thank you for your support!
Volunteer hours in October: CMIRC members - 14, Friends of CMIRC - 6
This month we made two supply drops to the Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF) B.K. Kee Patient House to deliver hygiene supplies, snacks, and art supplies for the patients and caregivers to finish decorating the bags for the donated Teddy Bears that were sent to BCMF patients in Mae Sot.
On November 5th we will have another party for several of the patients and caregivers who have October birthdays. We will be bringing the party to the Patient House much like we did for the one they had in September. Thanks to Nick, his partner Pink, Klao and all the gift givers, the party is shaping up nicely. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to stay and participate once again due to the rise in Covid cases here in Chiang Mai. At this time, we are still waiting to see how things will look at the beginning of December and director Kanchana Thornton will let us know about how to proceed for the annual Christmas party and when regular visits may resume.
Intern David continues to teach the patients and caregivers basic literacy and health education classes. On a recent visit some of the patients were actively engaged in a lesson on animals and learning to read the names of them in Karen. I had an opportunity to do a quick interview with David and find out that he has recently done lessons on heart disease and liver disease. His health education lessons last about 90 minutes and include some time for questions and answers. He also sends regular updates to director Kanchana Thornton about the work that he is doing.
I also had an opportunity to get a quick update from employee Klao and was pleased to find out that all patients and caregivers have sufficient blankets and warm clothing for the cool months that lie ahead. He also mentioned that presently there are no major infrastructure needs at the house. We did a quick tour of the garden beds and aside from some pruning needs, everything looks healthy.
Unfortunately, due to the continued resurgence of Covid-19 in Thailand, we continue to face delays in our CMIRC School Vision Screening Project. We look forward to screening all 3rd and 5th graders at the 11 municipal schools and the Wat Suan Dok School this winter and spring 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.
We are tentatively planning school vision screening volunteer training for early December, with screenings in the municipal schools and the Wat Suan Dok School beginning in January. We are certain that the schools will only allow fully vaccinated volunteers to screen children in the schools. So, if you are interested, have time to volunteer for 3 to 4 hours during 1 or 2 school days/week, and you will be fully vaccinated by December 1, please contact, Project Champion John Schorr at johnkschorr@gmail.com. Members of CMIRC have priority, but in the past, we have also used Rotarians from other clubs, Rotaractors, and friends of Rotary.
SOME GOOD NEWS! Due to the outreach by CMIRC Rotarian Colin Jarvis we are now in the process of building a strong relationship between the CMIRC SVSP and Saint Peter Eye Hospital here in Chiang Mai. Colin and I met with Ophthalmologist Tayakorn Kupakanjana, M.D. (Dr. Nickie) a young new addition to the St. Peter Eye Hospital medical team; he is very interested in assisting us with our vision project. This adds a very important medical element to the services we are able to offer to school children with very serious vision problems, problems that cannot be addressed with glasses alone. Add to this the pediatric ophthalmological surgical services available through our partnership with the Rotary Club Chiang Mai North Foundation, the continued very professional work of Optician One, and our trained screening volunteers and we have now built a complete team to address municipal school children’s vision problems here in Chiang Mai.
Once again, we’d like to take this opportunity to recognize the generous support of our partners, sponsors and donors, so here is a list of these generous organizations, beginning with the Rotary Club of Spokane 21 whose donation of $2,500 this year will fund about 80% of our program !! THANK YOU ROTARY CLUB of SPOKANE 21!!!
The total program budget for next year is estimated at about $3,000 US dollars, so we are still about $500 dollars short. 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, US Skype # 386 490-8100
Volunteer hours for October: Chair - 2, Committee members - 6
Unfortunately, due to the continued resurgence of Covid-19 in Thailand, municipal schools were closed for the month of October, and it looks like they will continue to be closed in Chiang Mai Province for in-class learning in much of the month of November as well. Since our Children’s Water Safety and Drowning Prevention Program is school-based in Chiang Mai and in Phrao, we have had to suspend our programs until schools reopen for in-class learning. We look forward to being back in our swimming pools with the 4th-graders hopefully in December, at least in Chiang Mai where our partner Bronco Kids Sport Club has a heated indoor pool for our swim classes. Our swim teachers are ready to go and we have purchased all the needed equipment, so we are hopeful we can still complete the program for all of our 4th-graders in Chiang Mai, Phrao, and the Banya Migrant Learning Centre during the 2021-2022 school year!
In spite of the temporary setbacks associated with the pandemic and the measures taken to counter its spread, we at the CMIRC CWSDPP continue to spread the word about water safety to other Rotary Clubs and NGO’s in Thailand. On October 26, our committee, and our partner organization in Phrao gave a presentation on establishing and running a children’s water safety program to the Rotary Club of Royal Hua Hin (RCRHH) based in the beach resort city of Hua Hin, Prachuap Khiri Khan Province. The response to the idea was positive and RCRHH President Phil Lawrence will bring the idea of establishing a swim program to his RCRHH Board at its next meeting. We hope we will have the opportunity to work with them on this project should they choose to go forward with it.
For those who would like to see the steps involved in establishing a children’s water safety and drowning prevention program, please click on this link to the PowerPoint presentation we used for our RCRHH presentation:Click Here
If you wish to help, please contact Project Champion John Schorr at johnkschorr@gmail.com for more information.
CMIRC Member Volunteer Hours for the Month of October: 16 (Chair, 10, Committee Members, 6).
We’d like to take this opportunity to recognize the generous support of our partners, sponsors and donors, so here is a list of these generous organizations!! This year we want to especially thank them for their patience as we have faced so many delays.
CMIRC Children’s Water Safety and Drowning Prevention Team and Sponsors:
CMIRC has been approached by the Rotary Club of Fig Garden, Fresno, California to be the local partner on a Global Grant, "Thailand Water and Sanitation Project GG-2233068". It is anticipated that other Rotary clubs in the US will contribute and the Integrated Tribal Development Program is the Cooperating Organization with Executive Director Michael Mann (picturedbelow) https://itdfinternational.org/
The project is planned to last for three years and will install clean water systems in some 10 remote villages in the Mae Chaem and Omkoi areas as a lead-in to other developments. In some cases, this involves installing over 20 kilometers of piping
The US Rotary clubs are working with a local philanthropic family, the Hanson family. Dr. Eric Hansen was born in Thailand. His parents were physician missionaries in Thailand for many years. The Hansens have a deep love for the people of Thailand and over the years, have invested significant sums of their personal dollars to help the people of Thailand, particularly the people of the hill tribes of northern Thailand. Every year, Doctor Hansen and his wife Darlene travel to Thailand to help install sustainable clean water systems and sanitation systems in the villages. They help provide education and healthcare as well. They co-founded the Lanna Foundation in Fresno https://lannafoundation.org/.
The Lanna Foundation works closely with the Integrated Tribal Development Foundation (ITDF), headquartered in Chiang Mai, and works to raise funds and awareness of the ITDF .
ITDF has been serving the hill tribes of Northern Thailand for 25+ years, providing holistic and sustainable development for the betterment of these non-citizen refugees. The first and most important step in the development process is providing a clean water system. Along with this, sanitation is considered critically important.
All water projects include the provision of squat toilets (one per hut) and gardens for each home. ITDF staff remain in the villages providing education and as much follow-up as needed to ensure that the water system is sustainable and functioning, ensuring that sanitation projects are completed and that effective gardening is initiated. The water systems are the first step in a three to four year process designed to help families move out of poverty.
There are additional steps, including agricultural education incorporating micro-loan projects that help with raising pigs, chickens and growing coffee. The cost to install a water and sanitation system is between US$12,000 to $15,000 per village. The Fig Garden Rotary Club of Fresno contributed $15,000 to this effort four years ago and we are hoping to have an even larger impact, with the partnership of CMIRC and the impact of a Global Grant, if approved by Rotary International.
On October 24, 2021, CMIRC marked World Polio Day in a low-keyed but impactful way by donating US$500 to the Polio Plus Fund of the Rotary International Foundation. The source of the funds were our 1Q raffle proceeds and I rounded out the difference with a personal donation. I know of at least one other club member who has a family member who was much more affected by polio, but I'd like to tell my story.
Some of us may remember that in the early days of polio vaccines, live virus was used in the vaccine. In the summer of 1960 my family lined up, along with the rest of the community, for our first sugar-cube dose.
We then went on a holiday to see family friends who lived on a farm without indoor plumbing (sort-of). As kids, we always loved visiting "Aunt Mary and Uncle John" on their farm although technically they weren't relatives. There was a water pump in the kitchen, barn and a few other locations. There was a room adjacent to the kitchen that served as a sort of bathroom, with a bathtub that drained grey water into their vegetable garden, a washstand and a commode for night use. Every morning the contents were emptied into their outdoor privy, which had a classic wooden seat and some sort of white powder that you sprinkled on your more offensive offerings.
Every evening the "menfolk", i.e. my father and Uncle John, showered in the barn where there was what today we'd call a solar hot water system, with a black water storage tank on the roof and a gravity-fed shower station in the barn. After showering, they'd hand-pump water into the tank for the next day's showers. I wonder what Uncle John did in the winter.
As for us children and the "womenfolk", bathing consisted of pumping water at the kitchen sink, heating it on the stove (it was gas; they did have gas and electric) and then mixing hot and cold water in the bathtub in the adjacent bathroom. Aunt Mary suggested that my brother and I bathe together to save on the amount of hot water to to be heated and carried. My brother was still in diapers.
As soon as my father came into the house after the womenfolk and children had finished their baths, he pointed out to my mom that this was a very bad idea, given we had just received live polio vaccines. I remember that for the rest of the visit, she had us stand up in the tub and did Thai-style ap nam, where she'd pour water over us, soap us up, and then rinse. No soaking or playing in the water.
But that one time of my poopie little brother and me soaking and playing in the bathtub was enough. We returned home and I started kindergarten. Within a week I fell ill with polio. Not wild polio, but circulating virus-derived polio. This post from this month's Rotary Magazine for Great Britain and Ireland explains the difference.
I was hospitalized for a week and caused quite a stir with my kindergarten. Apparently, students were sent home for a few days while they deep cleaned everything. I was shunned and happy when we moved and I was able to enroll in another school.
My parents downplayed my diagnosis. After all, I was born with a congenital heart defect and had undergone open heart surgery at Mayo Clinic before this incident. My parents called the local hospital "a clinic" and it seemed that way after Mayo Clinic's hospitals. I didn't seem to have any lasting effect from whatever had put me in the hospital.
Did this stop my parents from completing the polio vaccination series for the family? Did they become anti-vaxxers because their daughter had contracted polio from the vaccine? Absolutely not. They blamed themselves for not following good hygiene practices and completed the entire vaccine series for the entire family.
Rotary International's Area of Focus for November is The Rotary Foundation. The Foundation’s Mission is to promote world understanding, goodwill, and peace by improving people's health, supporting quality education, protecting the environment, and alleviating poverty.
In 1917, at the Rotary Convention in Atlanta, Georgia USA, Rotary President (1916-1917) Arch Kumph proposed an endowment fund dedicated to “doing good in the world”. The Rotary Club of Kansas City, Missouri USA made the first contribution to the Rotary Foundation in the amount of $26.50 (which adjusted for inflation would be $566 today).
In 1928, at the Rotary Convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota USA, the Rotary Foundation was named and a Board of Trustees was created. Until this time the RI Board of Directors had oversight of the funds.
In 1930, The Rotary Foundation awarded $500 to the International Society of Crippled Children, which later became known as Easter Seals. (The International Society of Crippled Children was founded by Rotarian Edgar Allen, who worked closely with Paul Harris and other Rotarians to aid children with disabilities.) (500 USD adjusted for inflation is equivalent to $8,2000 today)
In 1957, Paul Harris Fellow (PHF) recognition began – the first form of donor recognition, expressing appreciation of eligible contributions of $1000. (CMIRC presently has 12 Paul Harris Fellows as members)
In 1979, Rotary International with Foundation funding began immunizing 6 million children in the Philippines against polio.
In 1981, The Foundation established the Endowment Fund, specifically for investing certain contributions in perpetuity, with the earnings going to support the Foundation's future ability to do good.
In 1985, The Polio Plus program was launched; the “plus” initially referred to the additional vaccines administered along with the polio vaccine. Today, it also reflects the fact that the infrastructure, fundraising, and advocacy methods developed for the polio eradication campaign also support efforts to fight other infectious diseases.
In 1988, The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), originally composed of Rotary, the World Health Organization, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and UNICEF, was created to coordinate polio eradication work. Later it was joined by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
In 1990, The Foundation establishesd SHARE a way to allocate a portion of Annual Fund contributions to districts so they can fund the Foundation programs of their choice.
In 1999, Rotary Peace Centers were founded.
In 2004, the Every Rotarian Every Year (EREY) initiative was created. The initiative encourages every Rotary member to give every year to the Foundation, with the goal of $100 in per capita contributions to the Annual Fund. CMIRC participates in this program, with $50 of each member's dues being contributed, plus additional member donations bringing the club to its goal of $100 per capita every year since receiving our Rotary Club charter.
In 2013, The Simplified Grant Model went into effect, introducing two new grant types: global and district which replaced older grant structure.
In 2015, the number of polio endemic countries dropped to two.
July 1, 2016, The Rotary Foundation began the celebration of its centennial year! At this milestone year The Rotary Foundation had spent over 3 billion dollars on programs and projects to support humanitarian efforts and scholarships.
In 2020, The Rotary Foundation created Programs of Scale Grants. The first grant was a six million dollars to Partners for a Malaria-Free Zambia. The funding was equally split between The Rotary Foundation, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and World Vision U.S.
In 2021, Rotary’s Seven Areas of Focus: Peace and conflict prevention/resolution; Disease prevention and treatment; Water and sanitation; Maternal and child health; Basic education and literacy; Economic and community development; and The Environment.
As a global organization that operates in nearly every country, Rotary takes stewardship of its funds seriously. The Foundation has received a four-star rating (highest rating) from Charity Navigator for the last thirteen years.
Donating to support the Rotary Foundation’s “Doing Good in the World” is easy. Just visit https://my.rotary.org/en/donate and follow the donation instructions.
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 (BCMF) 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. The Patient House remains closed to visitors during the upsurge in Covid-19 cases in Chiang Mai. Basic supplies are dropped off there every other Sunday.
Chiang Mai Expats Club breakfasts, where we promote CMIRC and swap "Change for Children" owl banks, were cancelled for October due to the Covid-19 cases in Chiang Mai.
October was CMIRC Teddy Bear month, with scouting for bears, funding, purchase and shipment to BCMF in Mae Sot under the coordination of SAA Bill and Secretary Nick.
Thai Post were their usual amazing selves. It cost 110 baht, about US$3 to ship a large box with 10 bears, in decorative bags to the war-torn Covid-infested region of Mae Sot, Thailand. The box arrived in two days. Take that USPS!
Tuesday, October 5, a regular monthly club meeting on ZOOM. The program was presented by Dr. Nongyao Nawarat and Ajarn Wanida Lertvorapreecha on the topic “The Need to Bridge the Digital Divide and Reduce Educational Inequality in Municipality Schools, Chiang Mai".
On October 22, Dr. Nongyao shared the good news that digital access pilot program they discussed during this meeting has been fully funded by Samsung Thailand. Very welcome news for students at a disadvantage during distance learning because of Covid-19.
Wednesday, October 6, President Dylan and Rotarian Clarence met with the Integrated Tribal Development Foundation (IDTF) to understand their activities as related to a possible water project related Global Grant.
Friday, October 8, the CMIRC Board plus Rtn. Bill T. and PP John S. held a ZOOM meeting to set club goals for entry into Rotary Central.
Saturday, October 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.
Thursday, October 14, ZOOM meeting with CMIRC Rotarians Zoomed with Rotarians from D5230 California USA for discussions about a potential Global Grant water project in Northern Thailand.
Friday, October 15 – Sunday, October 17, Rotary District 3360’s Vibrant Club Workshop on ZOOM. President-elect Viki, CP Roger and Treasurer Nancy represented the club in segments of the workshop relevant to their roles.
Friday, October 15, CMIRC kicked off of the 6th Annual Winter Clothing Appeal championed by President Dylan. Within days, we were greeted with overflowing donation boxes at most locations.
Tuesday, October 19, a regular club meeting was held on ZOOM. The program was presented by PDG Jason Lim on the topic “Addressing the Impact of Poverty on Thai Children: Rotary Economic & Community Development Projects.”
Thursday, October 21, a visit by CMIRC Rotarian Clarence to the Integrated Tribal Development Foundation (IDTF) to learn of their capabilities related to potential Global Grant Water Project with CMIRC being the potential host partner club and the Fig Garden Rotary Club, Fresno, California, USA D5230 being the potential international partner club.
Thursday, October 21, the Service Project Committee met via Zoom.
Friday, October 22, the Fundraising Committee met via on ZOOM.
Monday, October 25, Rotarians Bill and Nicha made a food donation delivery to Urban Light Foundation.
Tuesday, October 26, the CMIRC Board Meeting on ZOOM.
Tuesday, October 26, PP John Schorr’s presentation, via ZOOM, to the Rotary Club of Royal Hua Hin (RCRHH) on the Children’s Water Safety & Drowning Prevention project. The RCRHH is discussing the possibility of engaging in a similar effort in Hua Hin.
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.
2 November 2021 CMIRC Club Meeting Meeting, 7 pm., with social time at 6:30 pm via ZOOM. Charter President Roger Lindley on "The Rotary Foundation: Doing Good in the World".Access to the meeting is meeting ID and password controlled. If interested in attending this meeting please contact secretary@cmirotary.org.
8 November 2021 Honorary Member Elsie Choy's Birthday.
9 November 2021 CMIRC "9 at 9" 9 pm Thai time. A ZOOM social meeting for members in and out of Thailand. Contact president@cmirotary.org
15 November 2021 Rtn. Niwatchai Suknaphasawat's Birthday.
16 November 2021 Rtn. Bill Trempus's Birthday.
16 November 2021 CMIRC Club Meeting Meeting, 7 pm., with social time at 6:30 pm via ZOOM. Guest Speaker is:PDG Suparie Chatkunyarat (left) on "Eye Service Foundation - Rotary Club of Chiang Mai North". Access to the meeting is meeting ID and password controlled. If interested in attending this meeting please contact secretary@cmirotary.org.
23 November 2021 CMIRC Board Meeting via Zoom 1:00 - 3:00 pm Contact President@cmirotary.org
30 November 2021 7 pm Traditionally a time for a social meeting. TBA. Stay tuned.
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.
Sadly, the optimism of last month's CMIRC Bulletin, published in late September when cases were under control, has been dashed by the resurgence of Covid-19 cases in Chiang Mai province during October and our school-based programs and in-person meetings have been put on hold for now. 
The 2021 Children’s Winter Clothing Appeal by the Chiang Mai International Rotary Club (CMIRC) has now been running for two weeks. Contrary to our cautious expectations, we have received a record amount of donations as of October 30. Our generous donors have supplied five truckloads of warm clothes, blankets, toys, and shoes so far. We are truly grateful for the commitment of our community. Keep up the great work! 
Our second initiative is with 
This month we made two supply drops to the 
Intern David continues to teach the patients and caregivers basic literacy and health education classes. On a recent visit some of the patients were actively engaged in a lesson on animals and learning to read the names of them in Karen. I had an opportunity to do a quick interview with David and find out that he has recently done lessons on heart disease and liver disease. His health education lessons last about 90 minutes and include some time for questions and answers. He also sends regular updates to director Kanchana Thornton about the work that he is doing. 
On October 24, 2021, CMIRC marked World Polio Day in a low-keyed but impactful way by donating US$500 to the Polio Plus Fund of the Rotary International Foundation. The source of the funds were our 1Q raffle proceeds and I rounded out the difference with a personal donation. I know of at least one other club member who has a family member who was much more affected by polio, but I'd like to tell my story.
Rotary International's Area of Focus for November is The Rotary Foundation. The Foundation’s Mission is to promote world understanding, goodwill, and peace by improving people's health, supporting quality education, protecting the environment, and alleviating poverty.
October was CMIRC Teddy Bear month, with scouting for bears, funding, purchase and shipment to BCMF in Mae Sot under the coordination of SAA Bill and Secretary Nick. 
Friday, October 15, CMIRC kicked off of the 6th Annual Winter Clothing Appeal championed by President Dylan. Within days, we were greeted with overflowing donation boxes at most locations.
16 November 2021 CMIRC Club Meeting Meeting, 7 pm., with social time at 6:30 pm via ZOOM. Guest Speaker is:PDG Suparie Chatkunyarat
