January 2020
SILC NEWS
A publication by the Samutprakarn International Ladies’ Club
IN THIS ISSUE 3. A WORD FROM OUR CHAIR
4. DATES FOR JANUARY
10. STARTING A NEW (ENGLISH) CHAPTER AT PLACE OF GRACE
12. CELEBRATING FIRSTS
14. SILC OUT AND ABOUT
26. BIRTHDAYS
28.
A WORD FROM OUR CHAIR Happy New Year to you all! I hope you celebrated the start of 2020 in good spirits with family and friends.
If you are anything like me, a new year means a fresh start and the aim to do better.
However, this year instead of sitting down and coming up with a massive list of resolutions
How about you? What is
– I’ve decided to come up with
your new year’s resolution?
one thing that I’m willing to do
Of course, I’m secretly
and then just do it. No need to
hoping that your “one
prepare. No need to buy
thing” is to become more
anything else to make it
involved with SILC!
happen. Just do one thing.
As the ancient sage Lao-Tzu said ’The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step’.
Happy New Year!! Hope to see you very soon.
y e c a Tr
JANUARY ACTIVITIES
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
30
31
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
15
16
17
18
19
Photo Walk
Craft club
22
23
24
25
26
30
31
Craft club
Cultural Walk
Craft club
13
14
Mahawong Craft
20
21
Potluck Coffee Morning 27
28
Prakkasamai
Craft
29
PH
See
the
world
TO W LK
through
the
eyes
of
a
professional
photographer. Take a walk through the diverse neighborhood of the Tha Phra Community, with Dennie Cody, who has 40 years of professional photography experience under his belt. Come along for this fun and engaging experience. Wednesday, January 15th | 9:00 am - 12:00 md| Tha Phra MRT station | 500 THB RSVP: silc.activities@gmail.com
POTLUCK COFFEE MORNING Tuesday, January 21ST | 10:00 am - 13:00 pm Baan Sansiri | FREE RSVP: silc.activities@gmail.com
Join us for our first Coffee Morning for the Year 2020. Coffee Mornings are always special; a place where you can make new friends and catch up with old ones. Please bring a dish to share and do remember to come with an empty stomach!
C
LTUR L WA K
Explore the peaceful Thonburi area with us on foot. This cultural tour will take you pas 17th-18th century buildings. These historic sites include Goowatin Mosque, Princess Mother Memorial, Wat Prayoon, Windsor House, Kian An Keng Shrine and Baan Kudichin Museum. Oh, and we will of course, be stopping off for a delicious lunch! Join the fun! Put on your hat, slip on your walking shoes, grab your camera and come along for an adventure!
Friday, January 31ST | 9:00 am - 13:00 pm| Thonburi | FREE RSVP: silc.activities@gmail.com
CRAFT WITH PRE-SCHOOLS The craft mornings with the kids always involve sticky little hands, shy charming smiles and lots of learning in a fun way. We go once a month to do fun crafts activities that support their English lessons. This month we will make this beautiful hot air balloon with the days of the week. If you have some spare time, join us in any or both of the following dates:
Mahawong: Monday 13th at 9:00 - 11:00 Prakkasamai: Wednesday 22nd at 9:00 - 11:00 RSVP: silc.community@gmail.com Many of the ladies who volunteer are happy to offer lifts, if you need one!
START TO EXERCISE!!
CRAFT GROUP This year we are changing our weekly craft group to a Thursday morning. So please do come and join our group of enthusiastic and creative ladies who get together to do crafts (as well as eat cake and chat!). Come join us. Everyone is welcome and no experience is necessary! We take it in turns to meet at members’ houses so please contact silccraft@gmail.com to find out more.
Low impact, strength training, high intensity, solo or team sport ‌.. whatever your preference is we might have something for you. Golf, Tennis, Yoga Pilates - just write to us and we will put you in touch with the co-ordinator silc.activities@gmail.com
TEA TOWELS Painstakingly drawn by pen and ink by Vera Canters
2 designs - ‘People of Thailand’ and ‘Places of Thailand’ - 200 thb each If you haven’t bought your set of these unique and limited editions then just email: silctreasurer@gmail.com
KNITTING WITH LOVE We are doing woolly hats for patients in the cancer wards at the government hospital. Join us or please help us to knit some hats and donate them. Send us a message to: silccraft@gmail.com
STARTING A NEW (ENGLISH) CHAPTER AT PLACE OF GRACE
The Place of Grace Ministries is a Christian project which runs children’s clubs, youth groups, a food bank, and a safe place for children and teenagers in the Mahatai community. The Place of Grace was started in 2011 by John and Gillian Robinson, Crosslink mission partners. They are a foundation in Thailand and have charitable status in the UK. Place of Grace has currently two main roles: the food banks and the youth and children clubs. A third role focused on education is starting in 2020, and that’s where SILC’s donation was directed. Keep reading to learn more! The food bank follows the structure of foodbanks found in the UK. It is only available to people living in the local Mahadthai slum communities. It is based on a voucher system, involving the local communities and churches with businesses that donate food, which is stored and distributed at the Place of Grace to those with vouchers. The children’s clubs and young peoples’ clubs run most days of the week. The children and teenagers who attend clubs at the Place of Grace all live in the local slum communites. Most of them go to school, but many live in extended families where
grandparents or guardians struggle to feed them as well as working long hours. Place of Grace provides a safe place for them to play, do crafts or just hang out with friends in addition to receiving a meal or snack.
The newest addition to the Place of Grace will be an English school. Like all new schools, it will start small. The aim is to provide English based education to the children of the Mahatai communities. John and Gillian, from Place of Grace believe education will break the circle of poverty for these families. This type of school has already been implemented successfully in other parts of Thailand. The school will be self sustainable with parents contributing responsibly to their children’s education, but it needed a little push to get started. SILC has donated THB 100,000 to buy basic infrastructure and supplies to the school such as furniture, air conditioning, water cooler, and books. With this donation, the school is finally ready to start.
We hope this new school will be very successful in helping the children in the community, who, after school hours will continue to attend the children’s and youth clubs. This will mean they will spend the whole day safe, healthy and looked after, in a Place of Grace!
CELEBRATING FIRSTS Since this is the first month of the year, we thought it would be an appropriate moment to tell you about some of our first achievements in different areas of our fantastic club. 1. Our first meeting in Lakeside Villa 1, was in 1992 with just two women that had the great idea to start a social group in the Samutprakarn area and help others less fortunate whilst living in Thailand. That first meeting saw 30 ladies turn up and our club name was born. 2. It was in the same year that the first charity fundraising event took place. A donation of 16,000 thb was given to the Chanjaprook Foundation. This wonderful foundation took care of babies whilst their mothers were in prison.
It was in a members garden and it hosted 20 vendors and raised circa 18,000 thb 5. Our first Cookbook in Thai and English was released in in 2012 and sold out within 6 weeks! Many organisations benefitted from the sale of the book 6. Keeping abreast of technology our SILC website first went live in 2015, quickly followed by our Facebook page. 7. 2016 was the year that our Newsletter went online!
3. Our first newsletter was sent out in 1995.
8. Not a club to fall behind with developing technology - 2018 saw us on Instagram. At that time it would be photocopied and posted to all the members. Check here some of those publications.
9. Our membership year of 2018/19 marked the momentous occasion that our membership reached an all time high of over 170 members.
4. 1995 was a key year in the history of SILC as our first ever SILC Bazaar was held. Article by: Aminta Ochoa
Our group of Mahjong ladies is growing steadily and ranges from novices to experts. We meet most Wednesdays at members’ houses. Please get in touch if you would like to join us! silc.mahjong@gmail.com
OUT AND ABOUT!
These sweet-toothed SILC members started December with an educational but delicious morning with Macaron Experience learning how to make these mouthwatering and colourful treats!
Christmas party at the Pre-schools A image says more than the words, you can tell by all the pictures the fun we all had celebrating Christmas and sharing presents!
We closed the month with a special lunch celebrating with our girlfriends, before continuing celebrating with our families and friends. Christmas Lunch had all what we expected and even surprises fun activities.
Do you have skills that would like to keep sharpening? Would like to do something that will positive impact others, with your free time? Our club has lots different opportunities that you might like to explore - membership, finance, marketing and activities all need organising and we are always looking for volunteers. Or maybe you could see yourself as the next Chair or Vice Chair of SILC? Get in touch and have a chat! Contact: silcchair@gmail.com
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Aurere Pauze Cheryl Lamb Isabel Centelles Roca Janine Minchin Karin Barta Kirsten Frederiksen Kristine Vanduffel
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Marielle Eurlings Marta Skeen Meera Singh Safy Rizk Tania Donoghue Tracey Hewison
Sorry if we have missed including your birthday. You might have omitted to provide it in the enrollment form ? Please update your information to silcthai@gmail.com
AIMS & POLICIES
Organisation of the Club SILC creates an opportunity for women of all nationalities living in Samutprakarn and Bangkok to meet and participate in a variety of activities. We invite members to join monthly events and interest groups. Members pay an annual fee of 1000 Baht from September till August each year. We also have a half yearly option of 500 Baht from February till August. Privacy The membership list is for the sole use of SILC members in a social setting and may not be used for commercial purposes. E-Newsletter The e-newsletter is published ten times a year with articles and information on club activities. Contributions are welcome and can be sent to the newsletter editor. Committee Meetings These are held the second Monday of each month and are open to all members. Please inform the SILC Chair if you wish to attend. All SILC events are subject to change. Please confirm your attendance with the relevant contact, and advise of any cancellation as soon as possible so another member may take your place.
Committee Contacts Chair Secretary Treasurer Membership Community Projects Activities E-Newsletter & Ads General Administration
silcchair@gmail.com silcsecretary@gmail.com silctreasurer@gmail.com silcthai@gmail.com silc.community@gmail.com silc.activities@gmail.com silcmagazine@gmail.com silcbangkok@gmail.com
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non-profit community events are welcome and free of
Personal advertisements for SILC members will be distribute free of charge. Email reminders for SILC members and non-profit community events will be sent out free of charge; other events must be advertised in our magazine. RATES
DISCOUNTS
Full Page Half Page Quarter Page
1500 Baht 800 Baht 400 Baht
Member - 25%
Website
3000 Baht per year
Only one discount may be applied.
Annual contract (10 ads/year) - 10%
Advertising requests and payment must be received prior to the published deadline. To advertise in the Newsletter, please contact: silcmagazine@gmail.com To advertise on the SILC Website, please contact: silc.websites@gmail.com To arrange payment, please contact: silctreasurer@gmail.com
www.instagram.com/silc_bangkok www.facebook.com/SILCBangkok www.silcbangkok.com SILC News Copy Deadline for e-Newsletter:
January 15th If you have any activities, events, book reviews, recommendations for holidays or items for our bulletin board please forward them to the Newsletter Editor: silcmagazine@gmail.com
