Jesters Care for Kids

"Jesters Care for Kids" - charity organization for underprivileged children, primarily on the Eastern Seaboard of Thailand. Established and managed by the Jesters MC and a committee of local expatriate foreigners on behalf of the Good Shepherd Foundation.

Since 1998, it has hosted an annual charity drive for gathering donations for its projects and beneficiaries. The Children's charity drive in 2007 generated just over 7.25 million baht or US$213,235 for children’s charities, and other non profit organizations that support poor or disadvantaged children in the area. Since 1998, the Jesters Care for Kids Charity Drives have raised over 38 million baht (approx. USD$888, 000) for underprivileged children on the Eastern Seaboard of Thailand.

The Fountain of Life center in north Pattaya is still one of the main beneficiaries of the charity drive, and its main purpose is to get poor kids, whose families do not even have money to register them with the government, into the government school and health care systems. Without the government registrations these kids are destined for a life on the streets with no money nor health care nor education.

The annual drive begins in June each year and culminates around the 2nd and 3rd weekend of September with a children's charity fair on the 2nd Sunday [cite web | title = The Jesters 10th Anniversary Children’s Fair – WOW!| work = Pattaya Mail | access date = 2007-10-16 | url = http://www.pattayamail.com/737/features.shtml#hd1 | access date = 2007-10-16] and charity fund raising party night party for the adults the following Saturday evening. [cite web | title = Jesters 10th Charity Drive enjoys fabulous 7.25 million wrap | work = Pattaya Mail | access date = 2007-10-16 | url = http://www.pattayamail.com/738/features.shtml#hd1 | access date = 2007-10-16]

Among "Jesters Care for Kids" beneficiaries are:
* Pattaya Redemptorist School for the Blind [http://www.care4kids.info/beneficiaries/main_blind_school.htm] in Naklua
* Ban Jing Jai in Nong Prue [http://www.care4kids.info/beneficiaries/baan_jing_jai.html]
* Happiness Camp
* Rayong province schools
* Helping Hands School Lunch program in South
* The Fountain of Life Center for Children [http://www.care4kids.info/beneficiaries/fol.htm] in North Pattaya
* Pattaya Drop In Center
* Rayong Central Prison, scholarship for children of inmates

The most important feature about the Jesters Charity Drive is that it is organized, run and managed by a team of volunteers who not only ensure that every amount of money possible that is raised, gets to the direct benefit of the children, they even oversee the distribution and management of funds to ensure that monies do not get misappropriated or used unwisely. Even though some of the sponsorships and donations to the charity drive are not cash donations (such as essential goods and services) the charity drive distribution of funds to the beneficiaries is still an impressively high percentage of the monies raised such as 2006's distribution of 97.5% of money raised.

By information of the organization web-site, a children's fair and the fund raising finale - the Charity Night are planned to take place in 2007.

References

External links

* [http://www.care4kids.info/ Jesters Care for Kids Page]