Heather Askew will be our speaker on 27 September. When I asked her to send me a photo, she sent a family photo. That says a lot about priorities as does her work providing foster care for local children!
Heather was a successful Los Angeles-based script supervisor in film and television for ten years before moving to Chiang Mai, Thailand in 2011 to work with and for underprivileged and marginalized people. Heather became immersed in the Thai and hill tribe peoples’ cultures and uses English and Thai in daily life. She spent three years as the Program Coordinator with Taw Saeng, an after school program for children living in slum communities, where she taught English and music and arranged field trips for the children.Heather has been a foster and adoptive parent since 2011, and to date has provided foster care for 10 teenagers who are now young adults.
In 2014, Heather transitioned to working with HUG Project as a Case Manager. HUG Project works with children who have been victims of trafficking or sexual abuse and helps the families navigate the legal process. While with HUG Project, Heather was selected to attend the 2016 Vital Voices Global Freedom Exchange in Washington, DC. This is a program which brings together women from around the world who advocate for people facing issues including domestic violence, human trafficking and crimes against children.
With the assistance of a grant from Vital Voices, Heather co-founded Jojo’s Sanctuary in 2016 with her Thai colleagues Jay and Butsaba. In 2023, she earned her Master’s Degree in Child Advocacy and Policy from Montclair State University and has been using the knowledge she gained to continue to advocate for marginalized people and expand the work Jojo’s Sanctuary does in the Thai community.
At Jojo’s Sanctuary, they believe every child deserves to grow up in a safe and nurturing family, free of exploitation. For the past 10 years, Jojo’s Sanctuary has been supporting family stability and preservation by working to educate, protect and empower vulnerable children, families and communities around Northern Thailand.
The meeting will be on Sunday 27 September at the Tulou Restaurant, Chiang Mai. Lunch is at 12:30 and the formal meeting will begin at 13:30. Rotarians, Rotaractors, Rotary Peace Fellows and invited guests are welcome. The lunch cost will be ฿350. Please notify president@rotaryclubchiangmaiwattana.org not later than 24 September that you will attend so we can coordinate with the restaurant.
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District Governor Paya Tharawut, a member of the Rotary Club of Wangchan, is scheduled to make her official visit to our club on Wednesday, 7 October. The meeting will begin at 3:00 p.m. The location will be Chiang Mai SP Hotel. We are very excited to welcome her! 
Sylvia Yu Friedman will be our featured speaker at our meeting on 8 November 2026. The meeting will be on Zoom and is open to all Rotarian's, Rotaractor's, Rotary Peace Fellows, and invited guests. For your invitation to this very special ocassion, please contact president@rotaryclubchiangmaiwattana.org/
Service Above Self
Mueang Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai 50100
Thailand