It's high season in Chiang Mai with the streets, malls and restaurants bustling with seasonal visitors. The air is cool in the morning and pleasantly warm in the afternoon. It's the best time of year in Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai International Rotary Club took a little break toward the end of December, but not until multiple truckloads of winter clothing were delivered into hilltribe villages and several classes of schoolkids received survival swimming training. We look forward to resuming our active schedule of community service as the new year kicks off.
Pour your favorite warm beverage and relax to enjoy our bulletin, below. You can better view each story by clicking on the story's title where you'll be taken to the story on our website, displayed in a full-page, easy-to-view format.
Let me begin by wishing all our readers a VERY HAPPY and PRODUCTIVE NEW YEAR!
Our club begins the year with a great deal of optimism; 2019 was a great year of service for us in our community and 2020 appears headed toward even greater accomplishments as we continue to focus our service efforts on Child Safety, Health, and Education in Northern Thailand!
Where we are at the end of 2019
CMIRC ended 2019 with record membership, closing the year with twenty-eight members! We currently have six active service projects focused on children: Mae Tao Clinic/Child Development Center/Child Protection Project in Mae Sot, Children’s Water Safety and Drowning Prevention Program in Chiang Mai and Phrao, Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF) B.K. Kee Patient House in Chiang Mai, Children’s Winter Clothing and School Supply Program serving remote villages all over Northern Thailand, English Language Cultural Exchange Program at BEAM Education Foundation in Chiang Mai, and our new Child and Maternal Health Screening Program operating in Chiang Mai Province. Our Children’s Vision Screening Project in the Chiang Mai Municipal Schools is still not ready to be restarted, but perhaps a year called 20/20 will be a good omen for a vision program restart!
December 2019
The month started with the club’s Annual Meeting where we recognized President-Elect Clarence (in brown shirt, at right) as our newest Paul Harris Fellow and we also saw Charter President Roger (left side of photo) receive recognition as a multi-year Paul Harris Fellow. Clarence's wife Rtn. Aree and daughter Areeya were there to help him celebrate.
At our Annual Meeting we also elected our officers for the next Rotary Year beginning July 1, 2020:
President-Elect: Michael Gholson (PE Clarence will become President Clarence)
Secretary: Rtn. Nick Dale
Treasurer: Rtn. Nancy Lindley
A great team to lead our 9-member CMIRC Board of Directors.
Also, at the beginning of December, I had a formal meeting with the chair of the BEAM Education Foundation Board, Kyaw Kyaw Min Htut (Joe-Joe) and signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with BEAM (left). We will continue to help BEAM students improve their communication abilities and prepare for the U.S. high school equivalency exams (GEDs) which will allow them to seek college admission in Thailand.
In mid-December our club was recognized at the Rotary District 3360 Inter City Meeting in Chiang Khlong for having a 100% giving rate for the Every Rotarian Every Year (EREY) program of the RI Foundation and for having EREY gifts that averaged over $100/ member. PE Clarence and I were there to receive the honor on the club’s behalf.
At our regular meeting on December 17, we welcomed Margaret O’Driscoll from Ireland as the newest member to our club. Also, at that meeting, we had over forty attendees with guests from Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, Cayman Islands, the UK and the USA! A very international evening!
Probably the highpoint for the month was our CMIRC-sponsored Christmas Party at the BCMF B.K. Kee Patient House (a home in Chiang Mai for severely ill/injured children, children with cancer, genetic disorders and other problems requiring specialized care not available in their home communities; parents and guardians can stay with their children. For my American friends, it is a low-budget Ronald McDonald House). We played bingo, gave presents to all the kids and their caretakers, ate lunch and just shared a loving day. The Christmas Spirit was really present on that day. Thanks to Rtns. Maliwan, Bill, Gordana for organizing a great party and thanks also to all who attended.
The month ended with our last CMIRC Board meeting in 2019. Readers, we are working on ways to include new members in our club who do not live full-time in Chiang Mai. We will call this a Passport Membership and it will be tailored to your schedule and club service requirements. Meeting attendance will no longer be the key issue for members; it can all be about service! So, if you are excited about doing meaningful service in a part of the world where children still have many unmet basic needs, contact me and I will tell you how you can join us in our efforts to improve Child Safety, Health and Education in Northern Thailand: johnschorr@hotmail , CMIRC President and Membership Chair 2019-2020.
The December visits to the Burma Children Medical Fund's B. K. Kee Patient House were very good. We said goodbye to patients who were returning to their homes and welcomed new ones. At the end of the month we had five children and twelve adults resident at the house.
The high point for December was the Christmas Party on December 22. Many of CMIRC members and friends made donations and/or brought gifts to the Christmas Party. It was a big success. Everyone had a great time. Rtn. Bill decided to introduce the patients to bingo. They loved it and I’m sure it will be played often. Mwe Kham brought home-made Burmese Green Tea Salad which was very popular. Moshe brought knitted hats, made by his partner.
Kanchana Thornton, Director of BCMF, recently wrote: Below is how one of our patient's felt about her stay in Chiang Mai and your visit.
“I felt very lonely when I was admitted at the hospital, but I felt warm and happy at the patient house,” she wrote. “I especially enjoyed playing games with the other patients [that were organised by the Chiang Mai International Rotary Club]. We loved the snacks that they brought us and enjoyed talking with them.”
We visit the house most Sundays, usually meet at the Shell petrol station on Huay Kaew road at 10:30 a.m. We usually stay at the house until 12:30 or a bit later. Check the CMIRC Calendar to confirm. Time and days may change depending on the requirements of the B. K. Kee House.
I really appreciate all the support I have been given over the past 6 months, but it’s time for me to rotate. Rtn Bill Pierce will be the Project Champion from January forward. I will remain as a person who will support the project and visit the house as often as I can.
Even though the collection phase of the annual Winter Clothing Appeal ended on December 1, 2019, Project Champions Dylan and Viki, and helpful fellow Rotarians & friends remained busy with delivering warm clothes and school supplies to children living in vulnerable hill tribe communities and refugee camps in the mountains of Northern Thailand. For the record, we've driven more than 4000 km in total to reach ten secluded destinations in three different provinces.
As temperatures dropped below 10°C, hitting as low as -1°C at Thailand’s highest elevation, Doi Inthanon, it proved to be perfect timing to distribute donations to people in need. Our generous donors' contributions were welcomed with excitement and gratitude. It was very touching to see the happy smiles of villagers living in such hardship that most of us cannot even fathom.
CMIRC has distributed donations to the Koung Jor Shan Refugee Camp near Piang Luang; Karen hill tribe communities in Ban Huai Khwai Lip, Ban Huai Tong, Ban Nong Tao, Mae Win and Ban Sop Lan, Omkoi; a Lahu village in Ban Muser, Omkoi; the Ban Huay Mung Nai Learning Centre in Mae Na Wang, Mae Ai; the School For Life orphanage & school for Thai youth in Mae On, Chiang Mai Province, and the Baan Mai Naisoi Shan refugee camp in Mae Hong Son Province.
In addition, the Rotaract Club of Payap University delivered winter clothes and books to the Hsa Too Lei Orphanage and I.D.P. Learning Centre for Burmese refugees (of Karen, Burman, Mon, Pa 'O', Kachin, Shan, Muslim, and Karenni origins) in Mae Sot, Tak Province. Also, CMIRC handed over the clothes deemed unsuitable for hill tribe children to sell at the Free Bird Pre-Loved Charity Shop and Donation Center, with proceeds supporting their activities centered around Burmese migrants.
The delivery of winter clothes has now officially ended, although we still have school supplies/stationery to deliver. We would like to thank all the donors for making this year's donations drive possible. You're wonderful! Your contributions helped light up many children's and adults' faces. Special thanks to our supportive friends, families and fellow Rotarians - in no particular order: John, Bob, Clarence, Areeya, Mike, William, Sally, Raphael, Brian, Jerry, Nancy, Roger and Gordana to participate in this truly community project.
Please note that there is still a continuous need for school supplies. Therefore, we would like to appeal to our community to help raise funds to provide necessary stationery for low-budget schools and learning centers in Northern Thailand. To find out more information on how to donate money for this specific cause, please visit https://cmirotary.org/Stories/winter-clothing-appeal-1.
Here’s a description of what they will provide us in an email from Goggles for Guppies project director Mike Hales, Executive Director, Goggles for Guppies a 501(c)(3) Charitable Organization:
“We would be delighted to work with you and the Chiang Mai International Rotary Club Children’s Water Safety and Drowning Prevention Program. We are well aware of the very high accidental childhood drowning statistics throughout Asia and your wonderful efforts to provide water safety instruction to fourth graders in Thailand is a perfect example of why Goggles for Guppies exists.
"We are an all-volunteer nonprofit distributor of manufacturer and retailer-donated swimsuits, swim caps and goggles to learn-to-swim and water safety programs for underprivileged, financially challenged children. Donations to Goggles for Guppies cover the operating expenses of transportation, inventory management, storage, packaging and shipping to qualified donors within the United States. Our equipment is shipped domestically via USPS Flat Rate Priority Mail.“
They are based in Laguna Hills, California, and their one concern is international shipping, so if you have some ideas please contact me: johnschorr@hotmail.com . Are there California Rotary Clubs that could help? Are there travelers willing to pack some suits or goggles?
They ship the following items and request a $50 donation/box to cover their costs:
a box of 20 mixed (male and female) suits: new briefs, jammers, one-piece and/or two-piece suits, or a box of 20 silicone / latex swim caps, or a box of 20 new swim goggles.
This is very high-quality equipment and will allow us to replace aging equipment at all of our programs in Thailand.
The Chiang Mai International Rotary Club Children’s Water Safety and Drowning Prevention Program kids and our great swim teachers are back in the pools here in Chiang Mai! We have already completed 15-hours of swim instruction for 4th-graders at six of the eleven Chiang Mai Municipality Schools. This year we will teach between 250 and 300 Chiang Mai Municipal School children survival swimming and water safety.
For those who want to see the certificate ceremony for the 150 children in the first six classes, save the date: Thursday, January 30. 9:30 am to 12:00 noon, Wat Pha Pang School. Please contact me if you plan to attend: johnschorr@hotmail.com .
Also news in 2020 is the fact that CMIRC with the help of an individual Rotarian is developing a new program at the BanYa Migrant Learning Centre in Phuket. We are planning to begin the program in June of this year, and if successful, it will continue to operate in the future under the auspices of CMIRC.
Swiss Lanna Society Chiang Mai
We have completed the Swiss Lanna Society-funded portion of our Chiang Mai Municipal School swim classes at the Bronco Kids Sport Club and the certificate ceremony for about 150, 4th-grade program graduates will be on January 30 (see above for contact and event information) These events are always fun, and the Swiss have some special presents for their sponsored kids, so this ceremony should be even more fun.
The British Community in Thailand Foundation for the Needy (BCTFN) Water Safety and Drowning Prevention Program in Phrao is completed for this year. We will award certificates to the BCTFN-funded 4th-graders on Monday, January 20th, in Phrao, time and location have not been finalized. Approximately 140, 4th-graders in the municipal elementary school will receive certificates and medals. Please contact me if you would like to attend, since we will arrange transportation: johnschorr@hotmail.com .
Plans for the remaining Safe Child Thailand CWSDPP funds are being developed. We will announce these once approval from Safe Child Thailand has been received.
BEAM will be commencing New Year classes on January 6. They now have two GED Social Studies volunteer teachers who will be conducting the GED Social Studies sessions. The present group of students have been assessed as needing additional assistance with English vocabulary for GED testing preparation.
Lulu Zhou, Higher Education Program Associate at BEAM Education Foundation, will be conducting formal English language support classes with sixteen students with Tuesday and Friday afternoon classes starting January 7th. These classes will run for ten weeks.
Our club has been asked to provide supplemental support vocabulary sessions, on the day prior to Lulu’s sessions, for the same students in classes on Monday and Thursday afternoons starting January 6th from 1:30 – 3:00 PM. These sessions will run for ten weeks.
Presently Rotarian (and club-Secretary elect) Nick is coordinating our BEAM Team. Rotarian Roger is also on the team. It would helpful to have at least two more Rotarians involved in this BEAM program. If interested, please contact Nick or Roger. rogerklindley@gmail.com
The Mae Tao Clinic with its Child Protection Department and Child Development Center is the oldest project of Chiang Mai International Rotary Club. Those interested in the history are invited to read past bulletins and the running story on our website. Also, please visit Mae Tao Clinic’s website www.maetaoclinic.org
February Awareness/Exchange Week: We will combine our customary tour with an English Language Cultural Exchange with the 11th grade, 12th grade and Pre-GED students at the MTC Child Development Center. The tentative schedule is:
Monday, 10 February: Travel to Mae Sot
Tuesday, 11 February morning: Tour Old Campus of MTC and Child Development Center
Tuesday, 11 February afternoon: English Language Cultural Language Exchange at CDC
Wednesday, 12 February morning: Tour New Campus of MTC
Wednesday, 12 February afternoon: English Language Cultural Language Exchange at CDC
Thursday, 13 February morning: Visit other learning centers and/or Global Alms
Thursday, 13 February afternoon: English Language Cultural Exchange at CDC
Friday, 14 February: Visit other organizations?
Friday, 14 February: Return to starting point (Chiang Mai or other location).
Please let me know as soon as possible if you wish to participate, and please send specific questions as soon as possible. The staff of CDC will be re-arranging their schedules to accommodate the English Language Cultural Exchange.
March Tour: The tentative schedule is:
Wednesday, 4 March: Travel to Mae Sot
Thursday, 5 March: Tour and receive briefings
Friday, 6 March morning: Tour and receive briefings
Friday, 6 March afternoon/evening Travel to Chiang Mai, or other home location
June Tour: The tentative rough schedule is:
Wednesday, 3 June: Travel to Mae Sot
Thursday, 4 June: Tour and receive briefings
Friday, 5 June morning: Tour and receive briefings
Friday, 5 June afternoon/evening Travel to Chiang Mai, or other home location
The tour dates for March and June are set, but it’s too early to have any details. Interested parties are invited to contact me as soon as possible. Previous tours have been at capacity.
30 Years ++ The MTC 30TH Anniversary book is now available for a nominal donation of only 800 THB. (cover shown, right) A preview is available at www.maetaoclinic.org
Our plan going forward:
CMIRC always consults with MTC prior to making any commitment. Realizing that the needs of the Mae Tao Clinic’s are constantly changing due to circumstance over which they have no control the below list may change. As of this writing, the CMIRC MTC Project Plan may include:
We will continue to conduct awareness tours.
Depending on demand, some awareness tours will be expanded to awareness and cultural exchange tours (the first one is tentatively scheduled for 10 – 14 February 2020).
Acceptable behavior standards and dress code will be provided to all future attendees of our tours.
CMIRC & MTC will continue to explore Rotary Global Grant opportunities. Current thinking is training conducted by the Child Protection Department emphasizing safety from human trafficking and other forms of abuse.
We will help MTC find commercial sponsors.
We would like to set up a scholarship fund for CDC graduates.
Conduct one fundraising event, the proceeds of which would be dedicated to operational expenses not normally eligible for Rotary Global Grants such as teacher stipends.
Support MTC fundraising efforts.
Encourage our fellow Rotarians and other friends to participate in Facebook and other multi-media efforts to support MTC.
Gentle Reader: DO NOT BE AFRAID! While this is indeed a tall order, it is doable. All I ask is that you support the MTC in the way(s) which make sense to you! A very good Rotarian Friend Wessel Veenstra reported that his church in Franeker Netherlands raised money for Mae Tao Clinic in December. How great is that? Together we can make a real difference! Everyone is invited and encouraged to support this marvelous organization in any way that makes sense to you!
Posted by Dylan Low, President, and William Churchill CMIRC Liaison on Jan 02, 2020
HAPPY HOLIDAYS from the members of Rotaract Club of Payap University. We look forward to the new year of 2020 and working on new opportunities to serve our communities. In addition, we are pleased to continue our sponsorship by the Chiang Mai International Rotary Club. We are a few months away from the first anniversary of receiving our Charter but have been actively involved in many projects and are in the process of transitioning to new leadership within the Club.
December saw the Club’s Books for Refugees project come to fruition with the delivery of our efforts to two refugee schools near Mae Sot, Thailand: Shalom Arts and Leadership College and Hsa Thoo Lei School and Orphanage. Club President Dylan (below, left) and CMIRC Liaison William journeyed to Mae Sot for the welcomed greetings from the local representatives. In addition to the English language books (which were immediately inserted into the library shelves, pictured below right), the Club had acquired several bags of winter clothing as a result of its on-campus participation in the CMIRC’s Winter Clothing Project.
Right at the New Year, the Rotaract Club of Hong Kong Island East arrived in Chiang Mai to perform service projects with Breanna’s House of Joy Orphanage and at the Burma Children Medical Fund's B.K. Kee Patient House. Members of the RCPYU have been consultants to the visitors and are joining in some of the activities while they are here in Chiang Mai. Their arrival at the Chiang Mai International Airport is pictured below with RCPYU P. Dylan second from right and Secretary Dayton on right. More about their activities in next month's bulletin.
The New Year will provide new opportunities for the Club. We look forward to the new leadership/members as the Club continues with its growth and development.
On Saturday, 22 February, CMIRC will celebrate the 6th anniversary of receiving its charter with a Children's Charity Duck Race and hor d'oeuvres buffet at the Real Centre of the Universe Swimming Pool & Resort in Chiang Mai. As in the past, when we've celebrated our "birthday" with golf ball drops and a duck dive, we expect stiff competition as rubber ducks "owned" by people from all over the globe race in heats on the Olympic-sized pool to determine who will win valuable gift vouchers. Winners do not need to be present, but everyone who is will enjoy a fabulous hor d'oeuvres buffet catered by The Duke's Restaurant. Ducks are 500 baht each and entry to the event to watch the race and enjoy the buffet is an additional 500 baht/person. To "purchase" your duck or entry ticket, please contact Event@cmirotary.org.
A chance to support Warm Heart Foundation's efforts to mitigate air pollution in Northern Thailand and to have an enjoyable evening at Chiang Mai's historic Gymkhana Club. We'll have tickets available for sale at CMIRC meetings in January and will have an opportunity to sell tickets for CMIRC's 22 February Children's Charity Duck Race at the "Love is in the Air" event on 1 February. Please come and show your support for Warm Heart Foundation.
According to a new study released on December 5, 2019 by the Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies, with just 563 paid employees globally, Rotary International annually mobilizes volunteer effort equivalent to nearly 27,000 full-time paid workers. What is more, this study reveals that the efforts of Rotary volunteers save communities an estimated US$850 million in service costs per year.
The Scope and Scale of Rotary Volunteering presents ten key findings that powerfully demonstrate the significant renewable resource of volunteer effort that service organizations like Rotary are generating. For a world challenged to meet a demanding set of Sustainable Development Goals in the face of withering environmental catastrophes and limited governmental and philanthropic resources, the lesson from this report is clear: volunteer service may provide an enormously valuable contribution toward the achievement of the ambitious goals that the international community has set for itself.
This ground-breaking new report, undertaken by the Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies with support from Rotary International is the first systematic, empirical analysis of the extent of volunteer activity generated by a major global service organization using the definition of volunteer work and survey methodology outlined in the International Labour Organization’s Manual on the Measurement of Volunteer Work.
“By applying these internationally-sanctioned tools, we now have the first solid, empirical data on the considerable scale of international volunteer effort stimulated by a leading global service organization and the value of the services the resulting substantial army of Rotary volunteers contributes to the health, education, and welfare of communities across the world,” noted Dr. Lester M. Salamon, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies and lead author on this report. “Rotary is to be commended for subjecting its activities to such rigorous and objective measurement and for honoring the strictures that such scientific data-gathering imposes. We hope their example will inspire other organizations to do likewise.”
“We are proud to be the first global membership organization to conduct an empirical analysis of our volunteers’ impact using Johns Hopkins University’s systematic methodology,” said John Hewko, General Secretary and CEO of Rotary International. “This is just the beginning of using the most innovative tools of measurement to capture and enhance our impact. As we better understand the vast contributions of volunteer work, we can mobilize this remarkable but often undervalued resource to better the world and allow it to thrive in the years to come.”
We channel our commitment to service at home and abroad through five Avenues of Service, which are the foundation of club activity.
Club Service focuses on making clubs strong. A thriving club is anchored by strong relationships and an active membership development plan.
Vocational Service calls on every Rotarian to work with integrity and contribute their expertise to the problems and needs of society.
Community Service encourages every Rotarian to find ways to improve the quality of life for people in their communities and to serve the public interest.
International Service exemplifies our global reach in promoting peace and understanding. We support this service avenue by sponsoring or volunteering on international projects, seeking partners abroad, and more.
Youth Service recognizes the importance of empowering youth and young professionals through leadership development programs such as Rotaract, Interact, Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, and Rotary Youth Exchange.
Within Vocational Service the role of an individual Rotarian is to maintain personal and professional conduct in accordance with Rotary Principles and to respond to projects that their club has developed. The role of the Rotary Club is to increase employment opportunities in the community, promote a fair workplace environment, and raise vocational awareness, all through the development of projects that help members of all classifications contribute their vocational talents.
Vocational Service focuses on:
Adherence to, and promotion of, the highest ethical standards in all occupations, including fair treatment of employers, employees, associates, competitors, and the public.
The recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations, not just your own or those that are pursued by Rotarians.
The contribution of your vocational talents to the problems and needs of society.
The regular every Sunday morning visits by club members to the patients and their families at the BCMF B.K. Kee Patient House here in Chiang Mai.
The first two weeks in December, on Monday, Tuesday and Friday, club members participated in the English Language Cultural Club at the BEAM Educational Foundation.
On the first and third Fridays of the month club members attended the Chiang Mai Expats Club meetings where full Owl Banks were exchanged for empty Change for Children Owl Banks.
Tuesday, December 3, was the club's Annual Meeting and election of officers for RY 2020-2021.
Tuesday, December 10, was the well-attended CMIRC Social Meeting at The Duke's Restaurant in Maya Mall (below, courtesy of Steve Yarnold of CityLife magazine).
Saturday, December 14, P. John and PE. Clarence joined in the Rotary Inter City Clubs meeting in Chiang Khlong.
Tuesday, December 17, we had our regular club meeting at the Royal Peninsula Hotel. Visiting Rotarian and founder of Village Water FiltersBob Ashley presented a program on clean water projects. We welcomed new Rotarian Margaret O'Driscoll (shown right with P. John and sponsor Rtn. Mike).
Sunday, December 22, CMIRC sponsored a Christmas party at the Burma Childrens Medical Fund's B. K. Kee Patient House. Bingo (left), organized by Rtn. Bill was especially popular.
Friday, December 27, we had our last Friday in the month “Let’s Talk Rotary” get together at the DeLish Kafe.
For a complete and up-to-date list of events, check our online 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 Sunday at 10:30 am, regular visit by club members to Burma Children Medical Fund's (BCMF) B. K. Kee Patient House. Interested? Contact Rotarian Bill Pierce.
7 January 2019 - Regular club meeting, 7 pm at the Royal Peninsula Hotel. The program will be presented by Jan Pieter Brinkman of the RC of Hilversum International on "Similarities & Differences between CMIRC and RCHI - What Can we Learn from Each Other?". Gather at 5:45 pm for fellowship and an optional dinner; order from the menu of Thai food at the hotel.
21 January 2019 - Regular club meeting, 7 pm at the Royal Peninsula Hotel. The program will be presented by Amy McConnel Franklin on "Social & Emotional Learning in Formal & Informal Educational Settings ". Gather at 5:45 pm for fellowship and an optional dinner; order from the menu of Thai food at the hotel.
Posted by Jerry Nelson and Nancy Lindley on Jan 01, 2020
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.
Pern's Restaurant, a Mediterranean restaurant on Huey Kaew Road, near Central Kad Suan Kaew mall, is located across from the Shell Petrol station. Brian Pern and his friendly staff (including the legendary Mickey) create a warm and welcoming atmosphere for diners to enjoy steaks, seafood, chicken, pasta and vegetarian offerings. There are nightly specials and half-price house wine on Wednesdays. Most Wednesday and Sunday evenings you can enjoy smooth jazz while dining. First time diners receive a free glass of house wine when they reserve through Pern's website. Book here.
Fashion King is the best tailor in Chiang Mai. They have been in the same shop for over 12 years and receive the highest ratings from Trip Advisor and others. They feature authentic craftsmanship, superior materials and a great value! Their success is measured in customer satisfaction. The owners, Frank and Vanita will personally guide you through the entire process: design, material selection, fitting and delivery. CMIRC members -- this is the place to order a custom-made CMIRC dress-shirt or have a CMIRC emblem embroidered on your casual polo shirt. Frank and Vanita are the sponsors of the famous Chiang Mai fundraising event called “Bollywood Night”. They do a lot to give back to their community, helping the underprivileged in and around Chiang Mai.
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.
The month started with the club’s Annual Meeting where we recognized President-Elect Clarence (in brown shirt, at right) as our newest Paul Harris Fellow and we also saw Charter President Roger (left side of photo) receive recognition as a multi-year Paul Harris Fellow. Clarence's wife Rtn. Aree and daughter Areeya were there to help him celebrate.
Also, at the beginning of December, I had a formal meeting with the chair of the BEAM Education Foundation Board, Kyaw Kyaw Min Htut (Joe-Joe) and signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with BEAM (left). We will continue to help BEAM students improve their communication abilities and prepare for the U.S. high school equivalency exams (GEDs) which will allow them to seek college admission in Thailand. 
The Chiang Mai International Rotary Club Children’s Water Safety and Drowning Prevention Program kids and our great swim teachers are back in the pools here in Chiang Mai! We have already completed 15-hours of swim instruction for 4th-graders at six of the eleven Chiang Mai Municipality Schools. This year we will teach between 250 and 300 Chiang Mai Municipal School children survival swimming and water safety.
Swiss Lanna Society Chiang Mai
The British Community in Thailand Foundation for the Needy (BCTFN) Water Safety and Drowning Prevention Program in Phrao is completed for this year. We will award certificates to the BCTFN-funded 4th-graders on Monday, January 20th, in Phrao, time and location have not been finalized. Approximately 140, 4th-graders in the municipal elementary school will receive certificates and medals. Please contact me if you would like to attend, since we will arrange transportation:
Plans for the remaining Safe Child Thailand CWSDPP funds are being developed. We will announce these once approval from Safe Child Thailand has been received.
BEAM will be commencing New Year classes on January 6. They now have two GED Social Studies volunteer teachers who will be conducting the GED Social Studies sessions. The present group of students have been assessed as needing additional assistance with English vocabulary for GED testing preparation.
30 Years ++ The MTC 30TH Anniversary book is now available for a nominal donation of only 800 THB. (cover shown, right) A preview is available at 
The Scope and Scale of Rotary Volunteering 
Tuesday, December 17, we had our regular club meeting at the 
Sunday, December 22, CMIRC sponsored a Christmas party at the 
22 February 2020 – CMIRC Duck Race & 6th Birthday contact Sally Myatt
