Thailand Journal 2010 #19

Each year I come to Thailand, I’m involved in a variety of tasks; one of which is doing an audit visit of the projects our Rotary Club of Walla Walla is sponsoring. Today I here for the “Turning-Over” Ceremony of the Library project at the Thespadet School, way up in the Hills of Chiang Mai. We along with clubs in Japan, Australia, Germany, and the USA contributed to a Matching Grant and direct contributions totaling tens of thousands of dollars to build the Library, purchase books and equipment, and construct restrooms. The organizers were kind enough to plan the program to fit my schedule; and I was excited that 3 officers (including the President) from the Japanese club could attend. Although I’ve been working with the Chiang Mai Rotary Club and partnering with them on International Service Projects since 2004, I was excited that during my tenure as Rotary President we could bring the curtain down on this marvelous project. This Library will not only serve the School, but will be the only one in the District and for miles around. To view photos of the day, you can go directly to my Rotary site (http://www.wallawalla.edu/campus-life/spiritual-life/gallery/thepsadet_turn-over_ceremony) or to my Thailand Mission Trip page which has a bit more specificity (http://www.wallawalla.edu/campus-life/spiritual-life/gallery/thailand_mission_trip_2010).