RIS Walk-a-thons and Other Fundraisers

–by Ms. Shirley–

Annual RIS Walk/Run/Bike-a-thon

This school-wide fundraiser took place in late November. Participants donated 200 baht each to run, walk, or bike as many laps as possible in a set amount of time.

We raised a total of 135,100 baht and were able to make donations to the following organizations:

Sarnelli House in Nong Khai

• 5,000 baht for diapers for babies and toddlers
• 20,000 baht for daily necessities

Mahathai Sueksa Tha Bom School in Loei:

• 50,000 baht for completing a new space for the student’s break time (cement floor, tiling, and paint)

Camillian Home for Children with Disabilities:

• 20,000 baht for Ensure Protein Powder 

Fr. Ray’s Foundation:

• 25,000 baht for daily necessities

Children’s Improvement Organization (a local orphanage in Siem Reap):

• 15,000 baht for daily necessities

Make a Wish Come True Project @ Fr. Ray’s Foundation

This Christmas, we helped coordinate the fulfillment of a school-wide Christmas Wish List for 163 children on behalf of the Redemptorist Fathers Foundation of Thailand. The items were for children at the School for the Blind and the Children’s Home and the list had each child’s name, age, gender, and item that he or she would like so that our students and faculty could sign up to buy a specific gift. 

Since we were already going to visit the Fr. Ray Foundation to drop off our annual donations of daily necessities, we were really excited to be able to take the additional 163 individual Christmas gifts. We also had the opportunity to spend two hours playing with the local daycare children and helping to feed them lunch and get them ready for their afternoon nap.

Sarnelli House

The Sarnelli House in Nongkai is home to many orphans and children formerly afflicted with HIV or AIDs. Every year, a group of 10 RIS students visits them for three days, taking with them lots of donations for the children’s basic needs. Our students also organize a full day of games and fun activities for them to do together. Our students particularly love visiting the “House of Hope” to deliver donated diapers for the babies and young toddlers who live there. 

Here are some quotes from a few of the students who went on the trip:

“It was very melancholic to see familiar faces who I have met over the years I have been volunteering at Sarnelli House… This being my last year, it ended on a very positive note for all of us to learn that, through successful research and medication, the children with HIV/AIDs can now integrate into society outside the institution without feeling confined by their lifelong illness.” — Poupee (Gr. 12)

“This was our first trip visiting the Sarnelli House and it was a fun, mind-opening experience that taught us a lot regarding the lifestyle, as well as the medical problems that rural children have. It was definitely a joyous moment as the children welcomed us, essentially strangers, with open arms. If there is another chance that comes up, we hope to be able to visit once more.” — Jackie & Flesh (Gr. 12) 

“I visited the children [at Sarnelli House] last year and did not want to miss my last chance to see them, so even though I had a science competition that morning, I booked another flight later that evening and still made it. It was definitely worth it!” — Titan (Gr. 12)

ServICE Conference

This year’s 9th Annual ServICE Conference was hosted by ICS (International Community School) on November 15–17, 2019. ServICE is a for-students, by-students event that provides opportunities to inspire, connect, and empower one another to bring positive change to their communities. 

The main focus of the conference is to create and develop practical ideas that will better our society. To do this, ServICE focuses on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals—global issues that need to be addressed as outlined by the United Nations. The weekend was full of opportunities for students to build partnerships and relationships with people who are passionate about giving back to their communities.

Here are some of the highlights:

• 19 of our MS and HS students attended
• 7 of them went on to take part in the Youths for Sustainable Development Goal’s Challenge, which took place on January 25–26, 2020, at BPS (Bangkok Patana School)
• RIS was represented by two teams and one individual student:
  • Alice, Sunny, and Belle (Gr. 11)
  • First, Nampueng, and Risha (Gr. 10)
  • Vic (Gr. 9)
• Special congratulations to Sunny, Alice, and Belle’s team, whose proposal was selected as the winner of the Case Challenge at the conference! They were given a challenge to address issues on sustainable agriculture in Thailand. Their team proposed an app that would educate and encourage Thai youth to better understand Thai farming practices and skills, the goal being to change perceptions about farm work and to encourage young people to have a better connection with the earth. The team will be working to implement their proposal over the next year, using the 10,000-baht prize seed money they were awarded at the conference.