At long last, after more than a year, it seems that The Chiang Mai International Rotary Club Foundation may soon be approved as a registered Thai foundation!
As reported in previous editions of our Bulletin, the application process involved establishing a "sinking fund" of 250,000 baht, deposited in a Thai bank, not to be used for Foundation activities, police reports from our home countries for proposed Foundation Board members, which proved problematic for some elderly CMIRC members with thin skin and unreadable fingerprints, submission of a stack of documents about two feet tall, signed by every Board member and many trips, at short notice, to various government offices, by all Board members, always in our best Rotary dress.
Our lawyer assures us that the most recent of these short-notice meetings is the final one and we should receive our registration soon. Pictured below is proposed Foundation President Roger, center, sitting across from Board member Bill P with Board Treasurer Nancy at right, next to Lawyer Joe. We're meeting with representatives from the Provincial Governor's office and the Culture and Welfare departments of the local Tessaban (city) government.
While the Thai National Intelligence Agency in Bangkok had decided to forego the usual inspection of our office because of Covid, the Provincial Governor decided he wanted our office inspected, so this gathering was to discuss the purpose of the Foundation and to inspect our office, a rented suite in Royal Peninsula Hotel, where CMIRC conducts meetings.
The meeting was very convivial, with discussion centering on the two projects we conduct in partnership with the Tessaban: Children's Water Safety & Drowning Prevention Project and School Vision Screening Project. We emphasized that by having a Foundation, the club would gain legal status so that members and supporters could name the CMIRC Foundation as a beneficiary in their Final Will or Life Insurance and there would be tax advantages for those who file Thai income tax returns. Also, we'd finally be able to have a bank account in the name of CMIRC Foundation, making it easier for us to apply for grants and seek donations from those who were reluctant to donate to a group that uses a bank account in the name of two individuals.
With luck, in the next bulletin, we'll be able to share the bank account and tax ID information of the Foundation.