And as it turned out there were indeed many, so a bunch of us with the support of the administrative volunteers, made a GRIP IT toy stand at the entrance to the fishermen’s market in Rawai. We were happy to see that the Mayor of Rawai was also in attendance to help as we handed out toys to over 300 kids. There were a lot of smiles that day.
A big shout out to the local volunteers and Thai community members that always attend our events, your help is immeasurable, Khorp Khun Mak Khrap!
Later that day we arranged a rematch with the local Rawai Lion King soccer team, whom we sponsored a few months ago. This rematch was truly just an attempt for us to best them… we were unsuccessful yet again! The boys are too good. Back to the drawing board we go.
So Songkran has come, the New Year has begun and with that GRIP IT has set its sights on helping the children of Phuket and Thailand in new ways. After spending the better part of a year helping surrounding communities get through what is hopefully the end of the pandemic, we have learnt that there is much we can do to add value.
With that knowledge GRIP IT has decided that we are going to focus on helping local schools with facilities upgrades and added programs. We’re thinking of sporting upgrades, computers and drinking water accessibility.
We’ve also onboarded a new leader to our team, to help us usher in the second year of GRIP IT and to really help push it to new levels. She is a local Thai and our good friend. Her name is Ji, here’s a quick intro from her:
“I am very excited to officially be part of the GRIP IT team. I have attended a number of Grip It events and have seen how much support is needed in our local communities. Especially in minority groups which unfortunately arise from the stark contrasts embedded within Thai society. It is very rewarding to see the pure intentions of the GRIP IT team members and volunteers, and it is heartwarming to see the resulting smiles of our beneficiaries!“
While we may not have had water to play with this year, we did however do our best to get out and enjoy the festivities with our local community. If that is something you think you’d like to do, our doors are always open and you can find us here: Facebook (@gripitforward) and here: Instagram (@gripit_forward).
All the best. GRIP IT!
‒ Michael Farrell