During our October 3, 2023 regular meeting at the Royal Peninsula Hotel, former CMIRC Member and active Rotary Club of Patong Beach members Bill and Nicha Trempus made an extremely generous donation to the Chiang Mai International Rotary Club honoring our late beloved treasurer Nancy Lindley. Our club members were just sitting there unsuspecting when Bill made a surprise speech and presented a 1,000,001-baht check to our club. Please find Bill's speech below:
3 Dec 2020: I arrived in Bangkok to start my retirement in Thailand and do volunteer work. Not sure how I ended up in Thailand to quarantine and what volunteer work was I going to do.
5 Dec 2020: Isolated in the Le Meridian Hotel Room due to COVID, thinking this is worse than living on submarines and I am just crazy enough as it is on good days.
7 Dec 2020, 9 am: Clicked the link from CM Expat club to CMIRC and read President Roger's Message and the need for donations to support projects. Tried to make a donation on the website but was not having luck. The bank information was on the website to transfer money, and I had just set up Transferwise to transfer money. It worked, allowing me to donate $2,000. Sent an email to the president to find out more information about the club, and we set up a video conference on 9 Dec at 14:00.
9 Dec 2020, 14:03 hrs: Started a video conference. They were worried that I meant to send 2,000 THB instead of dollars. They talked with me for 1 hour, 19 mins, and 59 seconds and set up to meet at the expat club Christmas party on 21 Dec 2020 at 13:00.
21 Dec 2020, 13:09: Met in person. There they told me about the US Thai tax treaty and the ability to reduce my taxes in the US. I thought they may have had a little too much holiday spirits, but this is currently true and has saved me thousands of dollars. Financially, this $2,000 investment has been the best investment I have ever made. What I have learned from their mentoring and friendship - priceless.
You all know all the amazing things going on here. The impact we have is not limited to children in Northern Thailand. We are having an impact throughout Thailand: the Children's Water Safety & Drowning Prevention Project in Patong Beach, Koh Samui, and Hua Hin, the School Vision Screening Program in Phuket and Lampang, to mention a few.
Roger, I have some good news and bad news:
The good news - It is my privilege to donate 1,000,001 THB.
The real truth - I did so well investing $2,000, I want to see what happens with 1,000,001. No pressure and thank you.
We are profoundly grateful for Bill's incredibly generous donation of 1,000,001 THB. His inspiring journey, from the initial $2,000 contribution to this substantial gift, reflects a deep commitment to making a positive impact. Bill's trust in the Chiang Mai International Rotary Club's mission is deeply appreciated, and his support will undoubtedly amplify the reach and effectiveness of our projects. We are truly fortunate to have Bill and Nicha as dedicated members of our community.
Thank you, Bill, once again!