Normally, I write write about weather, COVID or other local conditions in my introduction as editor. However, I've largely been living life tethered to my sofa/heating pad or in the physical therapy department of a local hospital the past month because of a misjudgment at the end of a nice holiday in Bangkok. In June, a friend and I celebrated Thailand "opening up" by going to Bangkok for activities of no interest to our "significant others".
We saw a performance by a touring stand-up comedian, spent 12 hours in an IKEA, sitting in every room, eating two meals and a snack, watching their Friday night jazz combo, riding the new sections of the Bangkok BTS (overhead commuter rail). Yes, totally stupid activities. Then hours before we were to leave, I had a slip & fall in the hotel bathroom, injuring my back and twisting a foot. Fortunately, my friend is a retired rehab doctor who was able to handle getting me back to Chiang Mai.
So, I had time in July to wear my other CMIRC hat, the treasurer hat and spend much time on the couch, working on the massive Excel workbook that is the accounting system for CMIRC. It's good news for Rotary Year 2021-2022. Despite our two largest service projects -- Children's Water Safety & Drowning Prevention and School Vision Screening Project being on-hold due to Covid, we continued to do good in the local community, donating 150,000 baht more than the previous Rotary Year. The difference was due to increased emphasis on funding programs to provide food for out-of-work local people and sustainable agriculture initiatives.
Also, our donations as a % of total expenditures increased from 86% to 87%. A few months ago, we made the decision to increase our club dues for the first time and all members agreed. We can confidently tell our donors that 100% of their donations will be used to support our projects, programs and initiatives. All of our "overhead", i.e. catering, equipment purchases, room rental, subscriptions for online services, travel, dues to Rotary International and District 3360 are paid by member dues.
I'm feeling better and starting to get out more and do more housework, much to the relief of CP Roger. But, I realized that I should turn on the lights and wake up when I visit the bathroom in a hotel!
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