Recently, Rotary International President-elect Jennifer Jones asked all incoming district governors to imagine a world which deserves our best and where we Rotarians wake up knowing that we can make a difference.

In line with this philosophy, I’m happy to share that the Chiang Mai International Rotary Club is continuing to invest a lot of effort into mapping out how we can deliver our best and continue to create positive impacts right here in Northern Thailand. I’m looking forward to sharing some of these ideas in my upcoming final Presidential Message, and of course, joining each of you in making these ideas a reality.

Another month has passed, and thankfully our club was able to deliver even more food to the Urban Light Foundation. For those of you who don’t know, the Urban Light Foundation empowers, restores and provides emergency services and support to boys who are victims of human trafficking and exploitation. This incredible food effort continues to operate in large part thanks to Rotarians Bill and Nicha Trempus.

Project Champion Bill Pierce has reported that it’s largely been business as usual at the Burma Children Medical Fund’s B.K. Kee Patient House. The sense of normalcy is returning with new patients finally arriving and long-term patients (who could not leave the facility over the last few years due to regional travel restrictions) are thankfully being able to return home and reunite with their friends and family.

Secretary Nick Dale continues to foster big dreams for our club’s very important Teddy Trekkers project. Personally, I love to stay up-to-date with this project and enjoyed reading this Bulletin article last month.

Past President and Project Champion, John Schorr, announced that our school-based Children’s Water Safety & Drowning Prevention Program (CWSDPP) and School Vision Screening Program (SVSP) is now officially scheduled to resume in August.

My incredible wife, who also happens to be our President-elect, Viki Thomason, and our Thai-speaking daughter, Charlotte (left, in the photo above), attended the District 3360 President-Elect Training Seminar (PETS) & District Team Training Seminar (DTTS) in Lampang on the weekend of April 23, 2022. Charlotte proved to be a pet of the PETS, while successfully continuing to ignore Mommy’s request to translate. Nevertheless, PE Viki enforced our club’s place on the District’s map thanks to her viral dance moves which have become forever memorialized in the hearts and minds of those that got to witness it live, and conveniently also on TikTok for the rest of us.

Sadly, like many Rotary clubs around the world, we are continuing to explore ways to help Ukrainian refugees affected by the crisis in their homeland. Right now, we are trying to locate Rotary clubs in Europe that aid displaced people. If you would like to join this conversation, please reach out to at board@cmirotary.org.

The Royal Peninsula Hotel is continuing to operate as a “hospitel” (a hotel turned hospital), which means we are continuing to conduct meetings at our temporary meeting space until further notice. Please remember, we are currently meeting on the first and third Tuesday of every month (7 PM) at the beautiful Chiang Mai Orchid Hotel, located next to the Kad Suan Kaew mall.  Some of us gather at 6 PM ahead of the meeting for a meal in the hotel's restaurant.

Please remember, if you’re planning to attend any CMIRC function, you must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (submit your vaccination record to secretary@cmirotary.org) and you are required to self-administer an ATK test on the day of the event or meeting. While you will have pretested prior to arrival, if you generally experience difficulty in obtaining ATK tests or need assistance administering the test, please check out the table by our entry door and feel free to take a complimentary kit home with you for next time.

In an effort to promote safety and make it easier for all Rotarians to attend meetings, Rotarian Gary Herman helped the club obtain Antigen Test Kits (ATK). These kits are free to all club members, so please take just one kit (per meeting) and use it on the day of the next CMIRC event only.

At right are typical ATK tests, where you simply deposit your saliva into the "Sample" well and wait 15 minutes for the result.  If there is a red line at the "C" arrow, then the result is negative for Covid, if there are red lines at both the "C" and "T" arrows, or just the "T" arrow, then the result is positive for Covid.  It is possible for someone who is fully vaccinated, boosted and having no symptoms to still contract and spread Covid-19.

Currently, Charter President Roger Lindley and his wife, Treasurer Nancy, are letting the Board meet at their residence until we can get back into the Royal Peninsula Hotel. Of course, that also means that these Board meetings are now occurring under the close feline supervision of Mini & Maneki. In addition to having welcomed everyone into their condo, the Lindleys also went the extra mile and treated everyone to delicious donuts. Want free donuts and feline attention? Join the CMIRC Board of Directors and attend our meetings!

In closing, it’s important to announce that starting from May 1, 2022, fully vaccinated travelers entering Thailand are no longer required to book a quarantine hotel (sometimes called “Test&Go”) or take an RT-PCR COVID-19 test upon arrival. While this change in policy may prove to be a Godsend for the Thai economy, please remember to stay safe in your day-to-day behavior and interactions.

Can you believe it we are in May 2022; times flies by. So to for the students of the current semester at BEAM Education Foundation.

They are busy preparing, (some are even writing now) for GED exams. (Explanation of the program, from BEAM's Facebook, right.) There are thirty-four students close to writing exams, with some students taking a little extra time to prepare with the target date of end of May to be completed, depending on circumstances and location of students.

Our online cultural exchange in English has only two sessions weekly left, which for students and volunteers has been a lot of fun as well as being informative. Some of the topics discussed were media, music, food (both ours and theirs) and cultural favourites. I got a thumbs up for admitting I love durian, particularly with a piece of good blue cheese. Without doubt everyone enjoyed sharing their experiences, their love of fresh food together with its health benefits.

For me a theme that has emerged through these sessions is the value of handing down cultural traditions and knowledge together with the fun of dressing up in their traditional clothes for festivals and celebrations, along with the importance of a community and family support.  All students want to give back to their families and community once they obtain their education objectives.

This month we made two supply drops to the Burma Children Medical Fund's B.K. Kee Patient House delivering our normal supplies of hygiene supplies and supplementary snacks. Nick brought a large supply of mangoes from his partner’s aunt’s garden. We are pleased to report that the new whiteboard has been purchased and work on the repair of the toilet doors will be starting this week. 

Director Kanchana has returned to Mae Sot and by the time this update is published we will have had an opportunity to discuss some of the “Big Dreams” that we look forward to assisting BCMF with, having the goal of improving their ability to provide the services that they have been engaged in at B.K. Kee Patient house since 2013.

Intern update: The two nursing student interns, David and Diana have both submitted reports, updating their school status, grades, practicum experiences and written summaries of their activities at the BCMF B.K. Kee Patient House. It is wonderful to report that they both feel that the time spent doing volunteer work has benefited them both professionally and personally.

Nick, Gary, and I plan on holding a “Welcome Party” on May 22nd. There are so many new patients and caregivers at the house now that we would like to take the time to get to know them a little better. We have approached Kanchana about the prospect of us each taking an ATK test to allow us to stay for the duration of the event.

Currently, we are still doing supply drops and are forgoing sustained visits due to Covid and since some patients have suppressed immune systems.

Hours:  CMIRC members - 12; Volunteer - 3

The Food Initiative for April continues since the need for food supplementation in Chiang Mai province continues. The need for food grows in the world due to the Ukraine Invasion and inflation. CMIRC continues to supplement people in unfortunate circumstances, raising 61,480 THB, and providing 32 hours of volunteer time in April.

The Human Rights Development Foundation continues to work with CMIRC delivering 200 bags, each filled with 2 kg of rice, 3 cans of fish, 6 packages of noodles, oil, fish oil, milk, and sanitary napkins. The deliveries this month went to Chiang Dao and San Kamphaeng migrant worker camps.

The dedicated staff at Urban Light’s community center for boys at risk of exploitation www.urban-light.org continue to provide community support in efforts to provide food. CMIRC is providing only nonperishable food items to the community center as requested.

Many thanks to all the people so generous with the time and money. The need is great and the generosity is deeply appreciated.

The Rotary District 3360 President-Elect Training Seminar (PETS) & District Team Training Seminar (DTTS) were held on 23-24 April 2022 at the Wiengthong Hotel in Lampang. District Governor (DG) Jirayuth Hirunyawat opened the event. District Governor-Elect (DGE) Supaluck Lohajoti introduced the motto for Rotary Year 2022-2023, “Imagine Rotary.” She spoke about the goals and vision of District 3360 with a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

Rotarian dignitaries PDG Waewdao Limlenglert, PDG Kamolsak Visitsakulchai, PDG Anurak Napawan, ADG Saran Chantalay, Past President (PP) Dr. Busabong Jamroendararasame, and PP Apisak Jompong – amongst others - shared their insight and extensive knowledge with an audience of around 170 Rotarians from clubs all over Northern Thailand. The lectures and workshops were designed to enhance leadership skills and prepare the incoming club presidents to run their organization more efficiently while strengthening membership.

Adapt and Retool

The takeaway from the two-day seminar, which I attended with my daughter Charlotte, was that adaptability and flexibility are crucial for retaining Rotary membership. Rotary is a 127-year-old organization that must continuously evolve and adapt to maintain relevance.

Rotary International President-elect Jennifer Jones from the Rotary Club of Windsor-Roseland, Ontario, Canada, believes that Rotary needs to adapt and retool to engage members better. Engaging members is crucial to retaining membership. According to statistics by Rotary International, 30% of Rotarians leave their clubs due to cost or time issues, 23% leave because of the club environment, and 19% leave due to unmet expectations. We must consider what members want to get from Rotary and assign them meaningful responsibilities.

“It is our offer of hands-on service, personal growth, leadership development, and lifelong friendships that creates purpose and passion,” Jones said in a live online address to incoming District Governors on January 20, 2022.

Embracing change also means exploring flexible club models. The "Passport Membership" category of the Chiang Mai International Rotary Club (CMIRC) allows prospective and existing members who find it difficult to attend regular meetings - due to work, family, travel, or residence changes - to remain/become members with flexible requirements.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many CMIRC members and supporters were stranded outside Thailand. CMIRC has come up with an innovative solution to engage them. We keep in touch with them through a regular online meeting we hold on the 9th of every month on ZOOM.

Social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram) may also help us engage our audience. We are proud of our dedicated members and their achievements, and we are not afraid to show it!

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)

“DEI” was a recurring buzzword at PETS & DTTS 2022. Rotary International believes that exemplifying and embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) should be a part of everything we do at Rotary.

"At Rotary, we understand that cultivating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture is essential to realizing our vision of a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change.

We value diversity and celebrate the contributions of people of all backgrounds, across age, ethnicity, race, color, disability, learning style, religion, faith, socioeconomic status, culture, marital status, languages spoken, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity as well as differences in ideas, thoughts, values, and beliefs.

Recognizing that individuals from certain groups have historically experienced barriers to membership, participation, and leadership, we commit to advancing equity in all aspects of Rotary, including in our community partnerships, so that each person has the necessary access to resources, opportunities, networks, and support to thrive.

We believe that all people hold visible and invisible qualities that inherently make them unique, and we strive to create an inclusive culture where each person knows they are valued and belong.

In line with our value of integrity, we are committed to being honest and transparent about where we are in our DEI journey as an organization, and to continuing to learn and do better."

Conclusion

To ensure a strong future for Rotary, we must provide a fulfilling experience to every member and participant. By remaining flexible and receptive to new ideas, we make members and participants feel valued, respected and welcome.

Chiang Mai International Rotary Club (CMIRC)-Kru Payu  Children’s Water Safety and Drowning Prevention Program (CWSDPP) 

Unfortunately, the schools where we conduct our CWSDPP remain closed due to Covid-19. Since we are a school-based program, we have not been able to teach survival swimming and water safety this month, but there is still some good news to report for April.

We just learned from the health nurse at the Wat Suan Dok School that their plan is to reopen on Tuesday, May 17. (Monday, May 16, is the holiday for Visikha Bucha, which is Sunday, May 15; the day Buddhists reflect on the birth, enlightenment, and passing of the Buddha). We believe reopening on May 17 is also the plan for the municipal schools. So, our 4th and 5th -graders will be back in our survival swim and water safety classes soon.

After a careful budget analysis and some generous contributions from our loyal donors, both individuals and foundations, we now plan to teach all 4th-graders at the eleven municipal schools and the Wat Suan Dok School AND all 5th-graders at those schools who missed their lessons last year due to Covid-related school closures!

More promising news: at our Phrao Children’s Water Safety and Drowning Prevention Program we are exploring funding sources to teach all 4th-graders and 5th-graders, who missed last year. We are cautiously optimistic that this will be possible.

Finally, we’d like to take this opportunity to recognize the generous support of our partners, sponsors and donors, so below 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.

Special thanks, also, to individual donors Richard Murray and an anonymous donor, and for the continued support from Ian Bushell. 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 April: Total: 16 (Chair: 10, Committee Members: 5, Volunteers: 1).

CMIRC Children’s Water Safety and Drowning Prevention Team and Sponsors:

The Thai Thaim Foundation

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The new school year is now planned to begin May 17, but we continue to feel it is best to wait to start the screening until the year is well underway. So, we plan to train our volunteers in late July and begin the screenings in August. We hope to have one screening per week for a period of twelve weeks, so that all eleven municipal schools and the Wat Suan Dok School can be screened before the end of December.

Good news about Rotary Year 2022-2023 funding for the CMIRC SVSP. Fred Peck our good friend at the Rotary Club Spokane 21 has informed me that his club has submitted a Rotary District 5080 Grant Application for our SVSP!! The final budget request is US $ 5,600, and, if approved, will allow us to examine and treat younger children (K-2nd-grade) with strabismus (crossed-eyes) and amblyopia (lazy eye), where early intervention is critical. FLASH:  This just in! The grant has been approved by Rotary District 5080.

A cautionary note: while we will only use fully vaccinated and boosted volunteers for our school screenings, it is increasingly apparent that it is possible for fully vaccinated and boosted people to contract Covid-19. Screening in the schools will involve contact with children who have not been vaccinated, so in addition to vaccine requirements we may have to add ATK testing to our procedures. We may also need to restrict our volunteers to those who do not have health issues making them more vulnerable to Covid-19. Let’s hope that by August the incidence of the disease is so low that special procedures will not be necessary.

Once again, we’d like to take this opportunity to recognize the generous support of our partners, sponsors and donors, so below is a list of these generous organizations. THANK YOU ALL! 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 or co-chair Phijitra Schorr, phijitraschorr@gmail.com ไทย if you’d like to volunteer and be trained to help with screening.

Hours for the Month of April, 2022: 35 hours (Co-Chairs 10, Committee Members 5, Volunteers 20).

Our 2022 School Vision Screening Donor Team:

The Thai Thaim Foundation, Park Rapids, MN  

Eyewear Designs, Bethpage, NY

Each year, Rotary connects thousands of young people to a global network of friendship, service, and action. Each year 500,000 young people participate in Rotary Youth Service programs worldwide.

INTERACT

Interact is a Rotary-sponsored service club comprised of 14–18-year-olds. Interact gives young people the opportunity to take part in fun, meaningful service projects. Along the way, Interactors develop their leadership skills and initiative while meeting new friends. Members exchange ideas, opinions and plans with other talented, energetic people, in an atmosphere free from negative pressures and distraction. Interact strives to promote student leadership, local volunteer service, and to make members aware of the many global and world issues that affect people every day.

Ultimately, students can:

• Become acquainted with a premiere service organization (Rotary International) and proven leaders from communities throughout Rotary;
• Learn how to manage and head community service projects;
• Learn about other Rotary club programs including Rotaract (service club for young adults), Earlyact (a service club for primary school students), Youth Exchange (a chance to live and study abroad ) and RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards).

The word Interact stands for “international action” and today there are more than 10,700 clubs in 109 countries.  Everything you need to organize, certify, and manage your club is in the Interact Guide for Rotary Club Sponsors and Advisers (PDF)

ROTARACT

Rotaract is a Rotary-sponsored service club for young people ages 18-30. Rotaract clubs are usually community or university-based and are sponsored by a local Rotary club, making them true “partners in service” and key members of the Rotary family. Young adults augment their knowledge and skill and also address the physical and social needs of their communities while promoting international understanding and peace through a framework of friendship and service. Rotaractors also often spearhead the formation of Interact clubs and participate in RYLA. Rotaract is one of the fastest-growing programs of Rotary service with more than 9,500 Rotaract Clubs with 291,000 members in 177 countries.

Rotaractors follow the motto “fellowship through service”.

Everything you need to organize, certify, and manage your club is in the Rotaract Handbook (PDF)

ROTARY YOUTH EXCHANGE

Rotary Youth Exchange is an excellent and inexpensive way for high school age students to travel and study in a foreign country. Youth exchange gives the participant the opportunity to improve their language skills and school and family experiences will teach them the culture of their host country. They also act as ambassadors for their home country. Each year the Rotary Districts send approximately 8000 young people to other countries and accept 8000 young people from other countries in return. Accepting a youth exchange student into your club, community and household can be a very rewarding experience. It’s an opportunity for you, your family and your fellow Rotarians to learn about a different culture and also help a young person understand your culture. The goal of Rotary Youth Exchange is to promote the advancement of international understanding, goodwill and peace at the person-to-person level.

RYLA

Each year thousands of young people take part in the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) programs worldwide. Young people are chosen for their leadership potential to attend a seminar, camp or workshop to discuss leadership skills and to learn those skills through practice. RYLA aims to:

• Demonstrate Rotary’s respect and concern for youth;
• Provide an effective training experience for selected youth and potential leaders;
• Encourage leadership of youth by youth; and
• Recognize publicly young people who are rendering service to their communities.

Started in Queensland, Australia in 1959 and officially adopted by Rotary International in 1971, the RYLA program enables young people to debate issues of professional responsibility and human relations, improve leadership and communication skills, learn about businesses or institutions and meet Rotarians, while having fun and making friends. For participants, RYLA provides the opportunity to refine skills and explore pertinent topics with peers and elders; for Rotarians, RYLA offers the chance to help develop leaders, share valuable expertise and bridge the gap between generations. RYLA can help lead to the strengthening and formation of Interact and Rotaract clubs and can be used as a recruiting tool for youth exchange.

CMIRC Youth Service Activities

Our club is the sponsoring club for the Rotaract Club of Payap University with Rotarian Raphael Djemal CMIRC Youth Programs Director serving as liaison between our club and the Rotaract Club. CMIRC is the sponsoring club for the Interact Club of Unity Concord International School where Rotarian Myrna Muyana serves as our club liaison. CMIRC is also the sponsoring club for the Interact Club of the Chiang Mai International School with PP John Schorr being our liaison.

In addition, PP John Schorr serves on the D3360 Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) Committee and our club members participate in the annual evaluation sessions of English language skills for students selected to participate in the annual RYE. 

Below, front row, are the twelve Thai students who will soon depart for Brazil, France, Germany, Mexico, Spain, and the USA as this year's District 3360 class.

As Rotarians engaging in activities with children, we adhere to the CMIRC Child Protection Policy and those of our partners. Each member reviews and signs off on review of the CMIRC Child Protection Policy each year.