HFH Thailand’s Goodwill Ambassador Designs Fundraising New Year Card
Singer Rattapoom “Film” Tokongsub Also Celebrates Birthday By Building With Habitat In Chiang Mai
CHIANG MAI, 24th December 2008: Rattapoom “Film” Tokongsub, HFH Thailand’s goodwill ambassador, recently designed a New Year card for 2009 to raise funds for HFH Thailand. Each card will sell for 15 baht (44 US cents).
Different strokes: The New Year card (top left) with its cover design by HFH Thailand’s goodwill ambassador Rattapoom “Film” Tokongsub; Film (top right, third from left) with the home partner family and volunteers in Chiang Mai and Film (bottom) concentrating on laying bricks.
All for it: Film mixing cement during a Habitat build in Pathum Thani, Thailand.
Steady hands: Film (right) helping to cut wooden planks to build a wheelchair ramp in South Korea.
Film said: “In my capacity as goodwill ambassador, I have seen the process of how a family gets a house. Habitat for Humanity Thailand needs 120,000 baht each to build a new house for needy families. Although this is amount is little, it is not beyond our capabilities if each of us unite in donating money for the New Year card.”
The popular recording artiste, who is in his early 20s, also chose to spend his birthday on a build – his fourth with Habitat – in northern Thailand. He was named as goodwill ambassador at the end of 2007.
For the build in Chiang Mai, Film was joined by more than 50 volunteers from the Thai air force and Film’s recording company, RS Public Company Limited. Habitat home partner Narong Tala, a water color artist, also built with the volunteers. With an average monthly income of 10,000 baht (about US293), Narong was resigned to cramped conditions with his wife and two sons. Their old house was built with a combination of cement bricks with woven bamboo and wooden planks. The interior was dark and dank with little light entering the windowless house.
Narong’s dream of a solid and comfortable house for his family was fulfilled when Film and the other volunteers laid bricks and completed building the walls of the house.
The concrete Habitat house costs about 120,000 baht of which 100,000 baht will be contributed by RS. Film and his colleagues also donated 8,000 baht to build a new bathroom for Narong and his family.
arlier this year, in January 2008, Film had worked on a house in Pathum Thani province, north of the Thai capital Bangkok. Together with volunteers from his fan club and students from Rajamongkhon Institute of Technology, he helped to mix and pour cement for the foundation beams and apply anti-rust paint to the metal roof structure. Another team of volunteers, comprising Film’s colleagues from RS, completed building the house in Pathum Thani in end-January 2008 under the company’s corporate social responsibility program.
Film had his first taste of a build at the end of 2007 when he visited a Habitat project site in Lujan City, Argentina. Working with HFH Argentina staff, site foreman and home partner, Film felt that “the whole atmosphere onsite was friendly and sincere”.
The next time he went on a build was in Gyeonggi, about 1.5 hours northwest of the South Korean capital Seoul. He was welcomed by Habitat staff as well as local television star Lee Jae-ryong and about 10 student volunteers.
He then joined the volunteers to build a wheelchair ramp for the house of 72-year-old Lee Wan-gu. The ramp was built for the convenience of Lee’s son who was confined to a wheelchair after an accident. Film helped in the cutting of wooden planks and the screwing of wooden planks in place. He also repainted the walls.
In addition to having several albums under his belt, Rattapoom also acts in films. RS is the second-largest media conglomerate in Thailand and has a record label, radio stations, magazine publishing business, produces TV programs and makes films as well promote concerts.