Porntip “Bui” Nakhirunkanok Simon, Thailand’s angel, showed her generosity by donating millions of Baht to help survivors of the Tsunami in southern Thailand. Her generosity has inspired several prominent Thai people to continue in the relief effort. Even the Emporium Shopping Complex got involved by hosting a special event to officially introduce the Angels Wings for Tsunami mission on February 28, 2995. Not only did Bui come to talk about her foundation, but she surprised the crowd by singing “You’ve Got a Friend,” as a means of telling victims that they will remain in everyone’s hearts. The Emporium also imported 35 limited edition Roberta di Camerino crocodile handbags from Italy to raise Tsunami-relief funds.
Bui founded the Angels Wings Foundation three years ago. Setting up a foundation was actually suggested by Mr. Simon when Bui was looking into projects to help Thai children. Bui has been known to build schools in rural villages and give out scholarships to underprivileged children. With the Tsunami attack on southern Thailand, she immediately wanted to be part of the relief efforts. Not only did she donate money to build houses for the locals in Phang Nga, she also organized the construction of fishing boats for fisherman and she searched for foreigner families to sponsor children who have lost their parents in the Tsunami.
After traveling to visit the Tsunami victims in Phang Nga, Bui said upon her return to the United States, that she intended to come up with new programs to aid the many left destitute. She would take the opportunity to share her experiences with her American friends to create the necessary awareness, for relief will not take months but years for these brave survivors.