Aayana Baid - Girl Scout Service Project Thailand

Community Foundation of Pinecrest is sponsoring Aayana Baid’s goal to raise $20,000 for her Girl Scout Volunteer Service Project in Chiang Mai, Thailand. She will be helping fund the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary to continue providing resources for the rehabilitation of rescued elephants and Chiang Mai Rural Community Public Schools to help improve educational resources and opportunities for their students.

I, Aayana Baid, am a sophomore at Miami Palmetto Senior High School, Chair of the Pinecrest Youth Advisory Council, and Senior Girl Scout in Troop #466, Girl Scouts of Tropical Florida. I was 1 of 16 students accepted nationally, to attend a Girl Scout Volunteer Service Project Trip to Thailand in July 2023, where we will be volunteering with local Chiang Mai Rural Community Public Schools and the Chiang Mai Elephant Jungle Sanctuary (EJS). I need your sponsorship support to participate in this Service Project Trip.

Growing up as a Girl Scout, community service has been a habitual part of my life. Having completed my Bronze and Silver Awards, and several Take Action Projects, I have a deep understanding of the process of completing service projects. As Chair of the Pinecrest Youth Advisory Council, I spend a lot of my time helping organize and prepare for community events. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to be able to have an impact on my community, and I hope to have this same impact in communities in Thailand. My experience in community service and my passion for working with different organizations is an asset that I think will be extremely useful for this destination, especially in contributing to making a tangible difference in the lives of the rescued elephants, who I feel are the most amazing creatures on earth.

I will be volunteering at local Chiang Mai public schools to help educate their students. The Girl Scout Service Team will share our experiences in the American education system, culture, and customs with the students while learning about Chiang Mai's rural public schools. According to World Education News and Reviews (WENR), public schools in Thailand are free up until Grade 9. However, rural Thai schools struggle to provide their students with quality education due to a lack of funding. Chiang Mai has a large migrant community that lacks the financial resources to access better education options for its students. I want to contribute funds to these local community schools to ensure their students with access to better educational resources for an opportune future.

The elephants of the world have been robbed of their opportunity to experience long and healthy lives. Elephants are often abused and exploited in industries like trekking and logging, with many dying from exhaustion and malnutrition as they are worked to death. They are also facing the danger of extreme habitat loss and the everlasting efforts of poachers and developers. Elephants deserve to return to their natural habitats and maintain a peaceful life, without the interference of humans. I would like to play a role in something bigger than just me and my local community. With your support, I want to go across the oceans to help these elephants, it is our responsibility as a society to preserve the planet and its impressive creations for generations to come.

I will be working at EJS, in the Chiang Mai region, which cares for elephants in 4 provinces throughout Thailand. Our Girl Scout Service Team will help care for rescued and injured Asian elephants that are rehabilitated and given a second chance at a peaceful life. EJS was established in 2014, to contribute to a positive change in the perception of elephants and protect them from being poached, overridden, overworked, or abused. I would like to contribute funds to further the services provided by EJS to care for these magnificent animals and ensure a stable future for them.

Can you please help me in accomplishing my service goal in Thailand, where I will be actively contributing to creating solutions and helping support our global community. Your financial contribution is crucial to my efforts in helping me achieve my mission. Your donations will help transform lives and build a brighter future for the children and elephants of Chiang Mai, Thailand; but none of that would be possible without you. My efforts will only successfully reach their maximum effectiveness with your sponsorship. In appreciation of your anticipated donation, I thank you in advance for your generosity and support.

Please share my page with friends, family members, coworkers, community organizations, local businesses, etc.; with more people aware of my cause, I will be one step closer to reaching my goal. Thank you.

Please click the links below to learn more about me and my past service projects.

Aayana Baid - Faces of Palmetto (Article on page #6).

Aayana Baid -TML Silver Award - STEAM Project