Aspiring marathoner opens new chapter for Laguna Phuket fundraising

PHUKET: Athletes booking their slots in Laguna Phuket’s 2013 marathon and triathlon series are being asked to raise funds through donations and sponsorships for the resort’s long established Laguna Phuket Foundation.

The foundation aims to collecting one million baht per year to operate its various charitable programs.

A partnership with Ban Yaan Sabaa School in Phang Nga province, the latest initiative of the foundation, was launched on Wednesday May 15 in Bangkok by actor, author, and aspiring marathoner Krittapas ‘Krit’ Sakdidtanon, who is the newly-appointed charity ambassador of the 2013 Laguna Phuket International Marathon (LPIM), which will be held on Sunday June 9.

It’s the latest project in Laguna Phuket Foundation’s on-going Developing Sustainable Schools program, that has benefited hundreds of school children in Phuket and neighboring provinces.

Established in 2009, the Laguna Phuket Foundation supports educational and social development, marine and natural environmental conservation and emergency relief.

The foundation’s initiatives include the Developing Sustainable Schools program, which consists of Laguna Phuket’s ‘Fully Booked!’ mobile learning center, Survival Swim program, and School Partnership Project.

In previous years, athletes from Thailand and all over the world have raised millions of baht to fund several school rebuilding programs through LPIM and the Laguna Phuket Triathlon.

Last year, over one million baht was raised by athletes for Laguna Phuket’s ‘Fully Booked!’ mobile learning center. Aiming to provide alternative learning resources for children from kindergarten to primary school ages and their teachers in rural areas of Phuket and Phang Nga province for a five-year period, the project is currently scheduled to commence early next year.

This year, the foundation’s latest school partnership initiative is aimed to support Ban Yaan Sabaa, a small school in Phang Nga’s rural area of Amphur Takuatung. The school is comprised of eight classrooms for 88 students, from kindergarten to sixth-grade, and is in need of various developments, repairs and improvements.

Among them is the much needed renovation of the student canteen to ensure a safe and healthy environment for children.

As an aspiring-marathoner, Krittapas ‘Krit’ Sakdidtanon, is particularly pleased to be spearheading an initiative that will benefit children in nearby Phang Nga.

“I’m delighted to be charity ambassador of the 2013 Laguna Phuket International Marathon and thrilled to be involved in an initiative that gives athletes an opportunity to enjoy their run even more, knowing that besides running for our health, we’ll also be running for our kids,” he said.

Krit, 32, is a rising actor who has appeared in ‘Khun Chai Pawornruj’ a popular prime time TV series, who will be at LPIM – dubbed ‘Run Paradise’ – on June 9 to lead a fundraising caravan on behalf of the marathon.