4th Asian Organic Gourmet Festival to Support Underprivileged Children in Thailand

In 2017, the Asian Organic Gourmet Festival (AOGF) took place at the luxurious 137 Pillars House in Chiang Mai where it raised THB 236,000 for the Warm Heart charity based in Phrao, northern Thailand.

This year, the 4th Asian Organic Gourmet Festival will take place for the first time in Thailand’s capital city Bangkok, and will raise money for the Beaumont Partnership Foundation, an organisation that provides quality education for underprivileged children in rural Thailand.

Taking place at 137 Pillars Suites & Residences on Sukhumvit Soi 39 from 22 to 25 March 2018, the AOGF will feature a daily Farmers’ Market, a Wellness Day, cooking demonstrations, cocktail parties, a luxury auction and raffle, three lavish Gala Dinners and a Gala Finale Brunch.

Mr. Chris Stafford, COO of 137 Pillars Hotels & Resorts, said, “It is an absolute honour that Bangkok’s very first Asian Organic Gourmet Festival will support The Beaumont Partnership Foundation. If our combined efforts can help underprivileged children here in Thailand to get a better education and consequently a better future, then all the hard work will have been worth it. Nothing is more important than quality education, and everyone at 137 Pillars is extremely proud to be playing our own part in that.”

The Beaumont Partnership Foundation opened its first school in 2013 with K1, K2, K3, Primary 1 and Primary 2 students. The school has grown rapidly and already has 230 students on its books. In May 2018, the school will open its first secondary class starting with the 7th grade.

The school’s location in Chaiyaphum, roughly 340 km from Bangkok, was chosen for a variety of reasons, including:

1. Many students in the area leave school between the age of 13-15 years of age to go and support their families either on the farm or in search of jobs that rely on unskilled labour.

2. Many of the students are raised by someone other than their parents, often by an illiterate grandparent or another relative.

3. The proximity to Bangkok means that the Foundation can engage with the school and the local Chaiyaphum community in a day trip which allows further engagement.

The school’s students are already winning awards in local competitions, and the school recently hosted an Australian Science Professor, funded by a grant given by the Australian government, to teach students science in a fun, functional and creative way.

“Events like the Asian Organic. Gourmet Festival help to highlight the fundamental issues that face under privileged people and that is the lack of opportunities that starts with generations of the cycle of poverty,” said Tim Beaumont (pictured), Founder of the Beaumont Partnership Foundation. ”These events help attract visitors and supporters who want to engage and see the potential in helping these students realize their potential. Funds raised help the efforts of the school and its sustainability platform.”

The Beaumont Partnership Foundation was founded by Timothy J Beaumont and the partners of the Beaumont Partnership in 2008. Today, its board members include: Richard Cromwell, Director of the Bangkok Nursing Home Association; Sunchai Neungsit, CEO of Builder Smart PCL; Chakrit Vorachacreyanan, CEO of Rockworth; Mick Farley, Head Master of Harrow; Mechai Veeravaidhya of PDA; and James Wise, Ex-Ambassador of Australia to Thailand.

The Beaumont Partnership Foundation is supported by the Beaumont Partnership. All funds raised by the Foundation go into the school, education and the development of platforms intended to help the school, the students and the community. No administration cost is extracted from The Beaumont Partnership Foundation’s fundraising. The Beaumont Partnership also supports other functions such as marketing, admin and fundraising as its duty and responsibility to the foundation and the school.

Furthermore, any donations and gifts that the school or Foundation may already have, or does not have an urgent need for, are distributed to other needy schools within the area as well as other foundations that require the items.

The Foundation is currently seeking a vocational hospitality training course with pathways into hotels and resorts and is in talks with several organizations to establish a trade school for the construction industry.

Scholarships are also needed to help students who wish to undertake further academic and / or creative studies.

The Foundation’s vision is “Change Through Education”.

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