Purpose of Family Values Award Program
The Family Values Awards honors community leaders who have made outstanding contributions to the family. Its focus is on non-LDS community leaders who defend family values and are striving to advance standards that are consistent with the Church’s position on the family. Through this program Church leaders and public affairs council members can effectively convey to the local community the importance of the family in the Lord’s eternal plan and the Church’s commitment to preserving family values.
The Family Values Awards honors community leaders who have made outstanding contributions to the family. Its focus is on non-LDS community leaders who defend family values and are striving to advance standards that are consistent with the Church’s position on the family. Through this program Church leaders and public affairs council members can effectively convey to the local community the importance of the family in the Lord’s eternal plan and the Church’s commitment to preserving family values.
The Family Values Award program also provides an effective way to establish or expand relationships with key opinion leaders and create broader interactions between Church members and members of the community. Well-established relationships with community leaders create further opportunities to work together, fostering goodwill toward the Church and building the Church’s reputation in the community.
Objectives of the Family Values Award
- Recognize Excellence
Recognize the honorable efforts of upstanding community leaders, not of our faith, who are striving to advance standards and values that are consistent with the Church’s position on the family.
- Promote the Church’s Position on the Family
- Build Relationships with Opinion Leaders
Provide opinion leaders with an opportunity to meet with Church leaders and members in a friendly atmosphere where lasting relationships can be established. The Family Values Award should not be used to proselyte.
- Raise the Community’s Understanding and Perception of the Church
Raise the profile of the family and the Church while fostering long-term goodwill between the Church and the community.
The Family Values Award Ceremony was held on Saturday 16 August 2014 at the Changwattana building in the Bangkok North Stake Center. The Public Affairs Senior Couple, Elder & Sister Manning, invited the Family History group which included Sister Moleff and I to set-up a Family History display in the cultural hall as part of “Family Values.” Our Family History display and cultural hall arrangement was very well received and drew a lot of attention throughout the day.
A News Clip Stated the Following:
Three Prominent Locals of Bangkok Receive Family Values Award
This year’s three recipients, Dr. Paron Israsena, Father Joseph Maier, and Dr. Siraporn Sawasdivorn, each in their own life’s work, stand out as strong defenders of the family.
Each year in Thailand, and around the world, events are held to honor those in the community who are dedicated to strengthening and building strong family. This event is called the Family Values Award and was most recently held in Bangkok Thailand on August 16, 2014 at the Chaengwattana Ward (Mormon) building of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Family is one of the most important institutions in any society. Without strong, stable families, it is unlikely a community will survive. Where communities fail, nations will most likely follow suit and fail. The Mormons teaches the importance of building strong families, as set out in The Proclamation on Families presented to the world in 1995 by the First Presidency of the Church. Families, communities, and nations who pay heed to that Proclamation can benefit from its teachings.
Dr. Paron is a life-long educator who champions the education of the nation’s children through his Constructionism program. Knowing that a nation will grow weaker without a strongly-educated society, he works tirelessly to help provide educational opportunities for children that keep pace with the ongoing demands of today’s society.
Father Joseph Maier has dedicated his life to protecting children in one of the poorest slums in the city of Bangkok. He leads the efforts in rescuing children off the streets who would otherwise become targets of human trafficking. Some of the former students who began their education in his 20 preschools have returned as teachers in the same schools. Due to Father Joe’s illness, he sent as his representative, Reverend Wirach Amonpattana, Executive Director of the Human Development Foundation.
Both Dr. Paron and Father Joe are working to help this young generation gain the knowledge required of them to enable them to become some of the nation’s future leaders.
Dr. Siraporn is the current Director of the Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health (QSNICH), also known simply as the Children’s Hospital of Thailand. Among many of her efforts to help strengthen the children of Thailand, she has been a strong advocate of the importance of breast-feeding infants and its benefits on building strong children.
These three well-deserving recipients have now joined the ranks of a world-wide group who have received recognition by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for their life-long efforts to help build strong families. The Church salutes each recipient for their contribution to the families of Thailand.
The event was attended by many guests, both members and non-members. President David M. Senior of the Thailand Bangkok Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints presented the award to each recipients.
Dr. Chanika Tuchinda, Royal Thai Army General Thawatchai Boonsri and Wisit Phoungphet, Sheriff of Pakkred District of Nontahbri Province, presented floral bouquets.
Prior to the award ceremony, a Family Strengthening Seminar was held that morning with Dr. Chanika Tuchinda and Kun Subhawadee Harnmethee as the special guest presenters. Both of these women are former Family Values Award recipients and were able to share their vast knowledge concerning the building of strong families and the importance of teaching a good value system to children. Their teachings correlate with the teachings of the Church, and we were honored to have them as our guest speakers for the seminar.
After the seminar, a light luncheon was served to the invited guests to provide an opportunity to mingle with the recipients and learn more about their work. It was a delightful experience for all who participated.
For the duration of the day, a vast Family History exhibit was available for attendees to view and learn more about the important principle of family history research. Computers were available for those who wanted to experiment with going to the Church’s family history website and search for their ancestors. Many people were excited about the exhibit and walked away enthused about doing their own family history research. (Exhibited by Elder and Sister Moleff, and Sister Wan)
Elder and Sister Manning, the Public Affairs Specialist missionaries of the Church in Thailand, were deeply touched by the sacrifice and efforts of all the participants who made this year’s event a huge success. The national Public Affairs Council of the Church in Thailand wishes to express gratitude to all the speakers and presenters.
A News Clip Stated the Following:
Three Prominent Locals of Bangkok Receive Family Values Award
This year’s three recipients, Dr. Paron Israsena, Father Joseph Maier, and Dr. Siraporn Sawasdivorn, each in their own life’s work, stand out as strong defenders of the family.
Each year in Thailand, and around the world, events are held to honor those in the community who are dedicated to strengthening and building strong family. This event is called the Family Values Award and was most recently held in Bangkok Thailand on August 16, 2014 at the Chaengwattana Ward (Mormon) building of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Family is one of the most important institutions in any society. Without strong, stable families, it is unlikely a community will survive. Where communities fail, nations will most likely follow suit and fail. The Mormons teaches the importance of building strong families, as set out in The Proclamation on Families presented to the world in 1995 by the First Presidency of the Church. Families, communities, and nations who pay heed to that Proclamation can benefit from its teachings.
Dr. Paron is a life-long educator who champions the education of the nation’s children through his Constructionism program. Knowing that a nation will grow weaker without a strongly-educated society, he works tirelessly to help provide educational opportunities for children that keep pace with the ongoing demands of today’s society.
Father Joseph Maier has dedicated his life to protecting children in one of the poorest slums in the city of Bangkok. He leads the efforts in rescuing children off the streets who would otherwise become targets of human trafficking. Some of the former students who began their education in his 20 preschools have returned as teachers in the same schools. Due to Father Joe’s illness, he sent as his representative, Reverend Wirach Amonpattana, Executive Director of the Human Development Foundation.
Both Dr. Paron and Father Joe are working to help this young generation gain the knowledge required of them to enable them to become some of the nation’s future leaders.
Dr. Siraporn is the current Director of the Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health (QSNICH), also known simply as the Children’s Hospital of Thailand. Among many of her efforts to help strengthen the children of Thailand, she has been a strong advocate of the importance of breast-feeding infants and its benefits on building strong children.
These three well-deserving recipients have now joined the ranks of a world-wide group who have received recognition by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for their life-long efforts to help build strong families. The Church salutes each recipient for their contribution to the families of Thailand.
The event was attended by many guests, both members and non-members. President David M. Senior of the Thailand Bangkok Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints presented the award to each recipients.
Dr. Chanika Tuchinda, Royal Thai Army General Thawatchai Boonsri and Wisit Phoungphet, Sheriff of Pakkred District of Nontahbri Province, presented floral bouquets.
Prior to the award ceremony, a Family Strengthening Seminar was held that morning with Dr. Chanika Tuchinda and Kun Subhawadee Harnmethee as the special guest presenters. Both of these women are former Family Values Award recipients and were able to share their vast knowledge concerning the building of strong families and the importance of teaching a good value system to children. Their teachings correlate with the teachings of the Church, and we were honored to have them as our guest speakers for the seminar.
After the seminar, a light luncheon was served to the invited guests to provide an opportunity to mingle with the recipients and learn more about their work. It was a delightful experience for all who participated.
For the duration of the day, a vast Family History exhibit was available for attendees to view and learn more about the important principle of family history research. Computers were available for those who wanted to experiment with going to the Church’s family history website and search for their ancestors. Many people were excited about the exhibit and walked away enthused about doing their own family history research. (Exhibited by Elder and Sister Moleff, and Sister Wan)
Elder and Sister Manning, the Public Affairs Specialist missionaries of the Church in Thailand, were deeply touched by the sacrifice and efforts of all the participants who made this year’s event a huge success. The national Public Affairs Council of the Church in Thailand wishes to express gratitude to all the speakers and presenters.
Please see the photographs below. Single click to enlarge photo.
|
| ||||
|
| ||||
|
| ||||
|
| ||||
|
| ||||
|
| ||||
|  | ||||
| 
Spaghetti noodles with shrimp and spices
| ||||
 |  | ||||
|
|
