Twelve months under President Danu Chotikapanich. Floods, an earthquake, a gala that raised over a million baht, six Global Grant projects, and a school visit three hours south of Bangkok. Here's what actually happened.
Every Rotary year runs from 1 July to 30 June. The 2024–25 year, under President Danu Chotikapanich and Rotary International's theme "The Magic of Rotary," was a busy one. New members joined, new projects started, international visits happened across six countries, and a number of long-running grants moved toward completion.
Here's the year, month by month.
July–August 2024
The year opened on 27 June 2024 with the 94th Installation Ceremony at the Grand Hyatt Erawan. President Danu and his Board were formally installed. Rotaractors from Mahidol and Chulalongkorn Universities helped run the event.
Within days, the International Service Director was in Singapore for the Installation of President Tom Wolf at the Rotary Club of Singapore. Days after that came the visit to the Rotary Club of Makati in Manila, where the sister club agreement was renewed and donations exchanged.
In August, flooding hit northern Thailand. President Danu called the Rotary Club of Pua in Nan Province, which was already on the ground. We transferred 20,000 Baht the same day, and member contributions eventually brought our total to 60,500 Baht.
September–October 2024
September brought the completion of one of the year's quieter but most human projects: the renovation of the meeting room at Ban Rom Sai orphanage in Chiangmai, which houses seventeen children living with HIV. The 100,000 Baht budget covered ventilation, sound equipment, uniforms, stationery, books, and shoes for every child.
In October, the Club's first big fundraising event — "Share the Love" — was held at the Aksra Theatre. The concert raised funds used to buy ten Perkins Brailler machines and twenty 55-inch classroom monitors for the Foundation for the Blind in Thailand. Total project value: 631,998 Baht.
The same month, a Club delegation was in Taipei for the 76th Charter Anniversary of the Rotary Club of Taipei, where Past Rotary International President Gary C.K. Huang was the guest of honour.
November–December 2024
November brought a half-day visit to the Mercedes-Benz manufacturing plant in Samut Prakan, hosted by CEO Mark Berger. Members walked through the live assembly lines, including the new electric vehicle battery line, and heard about careers in automotive manufacturing. A charity raffle with test drives as prizes raised funds for iCare Thailand.
In early December, a delegation attended the 55th Anniversary Ball of the Rotary Club of Kowloon East at the Kowloon Shangri-La Hotel. We donated USD 2,000. Later in December, we attended the opening ceremony of the vocational training programme at Thonburi Women's Correctional Institution — teaching concrete wall-building to thirty to forty inmates, funded at 70,000 Baht. Research consistently shows vocational training reduces reoffending. The Club funded it on that basis.
January 2025
Four things were moving at once.
The Chiang Rai clean water project — filtration systems at 15 schools, a joint grant with RC Amagasaki West, Japan, total cost USD 39,236 — entered its final verification phase. Club members travelled to schools in Chiang Rai, Chiang Khong, and Chiang Saen to check each system. Nearly all fifteen were working correctly.
The peace-culture project at Ban San Pakwan school in Chiangmai — Aikido classes, a student "Bully Buster" programme, and conflict mediation training for ethnic Shan children — was finishing up. Teachers now say student scores have improved and that children say they enjoy coming to school.
The HIV/AIDS Train the Trainers programme launched: 26 people from three provinces spent three days in Bangkok learning to deliver home-care training. They returned as qualified trainers, each going back to train more people in their own province.
The second Cerebral Palsy Global Grant project opened in Ubon Ratchathani. An international team of six specialists from Canada, Hungary, and New Zealand delivered three weeks of training to physiotherapy graduates, parents, and special education teachers at the Ubon Ratchathani Special Education Center, which supports 24 satellite locations across the province. Initial assessment: outstanding.
February–March 2025
In February, the clean water system at Wat Nong Luang School in Chiangmai was completed — a joint project with RC Tokyo Shintoshin, cost 110,700 Baht. The school's well water had previously tested positive for Coliform bacteria and E. coli. Ninety-six pupils and fourteen staff now have clean water.
On 22 March, "Spread the Magic" — our annual gala — was held at the Grand Hyatt Erawan. FIVERA, Thailand's first pop-opera group, performed. Net proceeds: 1,224,286 Baht. Rotaractors from both Mahidol and Chulalongkorn Universities helped run the event.
Six days later, on 28 March, a major earthquake struck Myanmar. By 4 April, members had contributed 329,535.60 Baht — from the Smilebox collection and individual donations — to the District 3350 Earthquake Disaster Relief Fund. The Fund had already begun disbursing money on the ground.
April–June 2025
In April, President Danu led thirteen members and their families to Nong Plub for the annual visit to Rotary Bangkok School — the school we built in 1966. They were welcomed with traditional dances and a Songkran water-pouring ceremony. The school's renovation plan for the original Somdej Yaa Building was presented; both the current and incoming Boards agreed in principle to fund it as part of the Club's 95th anniversary celebrations.
Also in April, the clean water project at two schools in Bokluea district, Nan Province — a joint project with RC Okegawa, Japan — commenced.
The year ended with 83 members, nine new inductions, a Children of the Forest Global Grant reaching approval stage, and a Careers Workshop ready to launch at the start of the 2025–26 school year.
The Year in Numbers
In twelve months, the Club completed or significantly advanced projects in Chiangmai, Nan, Chiang Rai, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Ubon Ratchathani, Nong Khai, Bangkok, Udon Thani, Kanchanaburi, Prachuap Kiri Khan, and Myanmar. It sent representatives to six international sister club events across Asia. It raised over 1.8 million Baht net in fundraising. It contributed more than USD 29,000 to the Rotary Foundation, with 89% of members participating.
None of this happens by itself. It happens because members show up every Thursday, serve on committees, give their time and money — and do it year after year.
The 2024–25 Rotary year ran from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025, under President Danu Chotikapanich. The 2025–26 year begins under President Nicklas Ulander.