VietHope_ Holiday Newsletter 2009

8/14/2019 VietHope_ Holiday Newsletter 2009

1/5

VietHope | 423 Brookline Avenue #199 Boston, MA 02215 | [email protected]|www.VietHope.org 1

Winter Issue XVI December 2009

Word from the Board

By Lynn Huynh

I would like to say a special thank you to VietHopesupporters, donors, sponsors, friends, family members,and staff and volunteers who have been by VietHopesside over the past 7 years. VietHope would have notachieved several milestones to carry out its missionwithout the generous support from people who believeand trust in VietHopes mission. As we close 2009, wehave a lot to share with our supporters ranging from ourprogram successes to personal congratulations to ourVietHope staff members.

This past summer, VietHope launched our first annualYouth Development Summit in Ho Chi Minh City. TheSummit was a 7-day program for our UniversityScholarship recipients to learn professional andcommunity service skills, and apply those skillsimmediately to help their communities. Students andvolunteers who participated in the Summit came awaywith greater appreciation for everything that VietHopehas done for them. VietHope serves as the vehicle toconnect people, share experiences, and build key skillsfor both our students and our volunteers.

After 8 years, the Merit Scholarship Program,VietHopes flagship program, continues to supportstudents in grades six through 12. This year, the programexpanded the number of scholarship awards to 300

disadvantaged students in rural villages throughoutVietnam. Our Executive Director, Phong Nguyen,produced the Merit Tour video which is available onour website. This video gives our supporters an insideperspective on the Merit Scholarship Program and theimpact Merit has made on our students and volunteers.You can travel with Phong as he goes from Ca Mau toThai Nguyen, meeting Merit recipients and theirfamilies.

The Community Scholarship program reassessed itsobjective and is working closely with communities inVinh Long. In October, the program delivered uniform,books and educational supplies to close to 200 students.Our students greatly appreciate these supplies and the

support they received.

On the internal organization front, VietHope haspartnered with organizational Salesforce to integrate ourdatabase system. The number of volunteers in Vietnamhas doubled this past year. In the US, we are workinghard to recruit new volunteers to assist with short- andlong-term projects. Please email us [email protected] if you would like to volunteer. Ourannual retreat will be at Tahoe from January 15-

18th

. If you are around the area, we welcome yourattendance.

As the current president of VietHope, I would like toagain thank our supporters, especially Nam Tran whohas done a remarkable job as the president of VietHopefor the past 5 years. I joined VietHope at the beginningand have seen VietHope grow tremendously due toteamwork, but mostly due to great leadership. NamTrans astuteness, dedication, and clear vision broughtmany successes to VietHope. She took VietHope froman organization that reached only a few students to anorganization that has provided support to over 2000students, and has led a team of approximately 100volunteers. We admire Nam Trans immense devotion to

VietHope and are fortunate to have her continue tosupport VietHope in a different capacity. With the greatsuccesses from the past few years, I look forward tocontinue our success and thank the VietHope team foryour support, energy, and dedication. I would like torecognize Alan Tu and Quang Tran for their time,commitment, and great ideas as Vice Presidents.

Finally, we would like to congratulate Nam Tran Nguyenand Mike Khaw. They are proud parents of Ethan MaiKhaw who was born on July 27 th, 2009. We would alsolike to congratulate Kim Son Nguyen and Anh HoaNguyen. Anh Hoa gave birth to Anh Khue Hoa Nguyenon November 1st, 2009. We wish them endless joys andhappiness and welcome the two additions to theVietHope family.

On behalf of VietHope, I wish our sponsors, donors,family members, friends, staff and volunteers a year fullof happiness and laughter. Happy Holidays!

In this Issue:

Word from the Board 1A Thankful Student 2VietHope Charity Dance 2An Overview of the Youth 3Development Summit 4An Unforgettable ExperienceBecome a VietHope Sponsors 5

VietHope is a non-

profit organization

dedicated to Vietnams

socioeconomic

development. We at

VietHope believe that

the wealth of Vietnam

lies in its human capital

and its prosperity

depends on whether

we harness this human

capital. As such, we

believe that good

education isindispensable to

Vietnams growth and

its future.

VietHope is a 501(c)3

non-profit. We are a

volunteer-based

organization with 20

active team members.

VietHope members are

based in Boston, San

Francisco, New York,

Washington DC and

Southeast Asia.

Contributing

Writers:

Lynn Huynh

Thuy Huynh

Le Ngoc Nguyen

Vi Nguyen

Ha Huynh

Editors:

Uyen Khanh Q. DangThuy Huynh

Lynn Huynh

Tiffany Phan

Quang Tran

[email protected]
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.viethope.org/http://www.viethope.org/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.viethope.org/http://www.viethope.org/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.viethope.org/mailto:[email protected]://www.viethope.org/mailto:[email protected]


2/5


VIETHOPE NEWSLETTER


A Thankful StudentBy Le Ngoc Nguyen

My name is Le Ngoc Nguyen and I am a student at CanTho University, Viet Nam. I am very grateful to receiveVietHopes University Scholarship. I would like toexpress my deep gratitude for VietHope through thisletter.

First, I would like to thank all VietHope volunteers. Youall overcame many obstacles and traveled far distances tosilently and tirelessly contribute your energy and effortsto society; but more specifically, you have devoted yourtime to help us students. When I received the prestigiousVietHope University scholarship, I felt happinessbursting inside of me.

The scholarship is very meaningful to me because it notonly helped me to overcome my financial needs(2,600,000 Dong to a Vietnamese college student is not asmall amount), but more importantly showed me thewarm love that human beings offer to each other.VietHope helps student like me to believe and developmore hope for a brighter future. I feel more confidentabout my futures path because I know that I am nottraveling on this idealistic path alone.

After receiving VietHopes scholarship money, Ipromised myself that I will work harder in school so thein the future, I can find a stable career and will be able tocontribute back to society.

Lastly, I would like to wish VietHope volunteersabundant health, a happy new year, and much success intheir work and life. I wish that VietHope organizationwill receive more success and have additional supportersfrom not only Vietnam and the States but also globally.

I am deeply grateful for the University Scholarship fund.

VietHope Charity Dance at Drake University

By Thuy Huynh, VietHope Volunteer

The Vietnamese-American Student Association (VASA)at Drake University has been hosting the VietHopecharity dance for the past three years. We have many

committed supporters from the Drake community anduniversities across Iowa. The main goal of the event is tofundraise for VietHope. Vietnamese-American studentsnot only have opportunities to fulfill our ambitions butwe also do not forget our origins. VASA membersbelieve in the Vietnamese proverb La lanh dum larach, simply

means, The good leaves protect the worn-out leaves.Therefore, we believe in VietHopes mission inVietnam.

At the charity dance, we presented information aboutVietHope and current VietHope activities. We also had aphoto booth with hand-made backdrops so thatsupporters could donate additional money. This year, weadded prizes for attendees who purchased raffle tickets.We also had professional DJs from Iowa State UniversityVSA, who volunteered to provide exceptional musicduring the dance concert. Overall, the dance was asuccess and we received great support from thecommunity. The members of VASA gladly and excitedlywill continue to support VietHopes work and futureendeavors!

VSA students at Drake University

An Overview of the Youth Development SummitBy Vi Nguyen

A little more than a year ago, VietHope made aninvestment: to build a Youth Development Summit fromscratch. Through the collaboration of over 20 VietHopestaff members in the U.S. and Vietnam, after over 2,000hours of preparation and the creation of more than 200PowerPoint slides across four different learning modules,we saw the culmination of our hard work this past July.

Twenty-six students from VietHopes UniversityScholarship Program (USP) and five Vietnamese-American students from the States spent 7 rigorous daysworking and learning from 7AM to 8PM, and often laterinto the nights.

During the first three days, we delved into four differentlearning modules - Communications, Teamwork,Community Service and Project Management. VietHopedesigned these modules with the goal of bridging the gapbetween the knowledge that students learn at college and

ScholarshipPrograms:

Merit ScholarshipProgram: Provideaccess to educationfor poor students inrural areas fromgrades 6-12 ($120student/year). Merit isa renewal scholarshipprogram where-byscholarships arerenewed on yearlybasis until studentsfinish grade 12, or failto meet VietHopecriteria.

UniversityScholarship Program(USP): Provide accessto education fordisadvantagedstudents at theuniversity level($150/year). USPaims to develop anetwork of universitystudents and potentialcommunity leaders.Summer activities areorganized for USPscholars to engage incommunity serviceactivities.

CommunityScholarship Program:Provide monetarysupport for uniformsand school suppliesfor the least well-offstudents in Vietnamfrom pre-k through5th grade.

[email protected]
http://www.viethope.org/http://www.viethope.org/http://www.viethope.org/http://www.viethope.org/http://www.viethope.org/http://www.viethope.org/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.viethope.org/http://www.viethope.org/http://www.viethope.org/


3/5


VIETHOPE NEWSLETTER


practical skills that graduates need to do wellprofessionally. The results of surveys conducted afterthe Summit showed that the students appreciated these

modules and benefited much from them. For example,90% of students had never had experience with ProjectManagement before the Summit. The modules werefacilitated by VietHope volunteers from Vietnam andprovided opportunities for interactive learning throughactivities, reflections, discussions, debates and games.

During the next three days of the Summit, we spent ourtime at the Vocational School for the Handicapped andOrphaned in Ho Chi Minh City, so that the studentscould put what they learned from the modules topractice. They planned, led, and executed threecommunity service projects that included building agarden, fixing a library, and creating a lifebook frominterviews with students at the Vocational School. The

Summit students not only accomplished these projects,but also encouraged students from the Vocational Schoolto get involved in project work, and to share personalexperiences with one another.

Youth Development, summer 2009. Students build a garden at the Vocational School for the

Handicapped and Orphaned in Thanh Pho Ho Chi Minh, Viet Nam

Survey results from before and after the Summit revealedthat the Summit improved self-esteem for students whenthey learned to present in front of large groups, leadprojects, network, discuss controversial topics throughcase studies, and make a difference in their communities.Although all of the students grew up in financialhardships, many openly expressed that they now feelmore empowered than ever. The Summit has given thema glimpse into what is possible in terms of helping theircommunity, representing themselves, and achieving theirdreams.

On the last day of the Summit, no one wanted to leave -not the VietHope volunteers, nor any of the participants.We took over 7,000 photos, created countless memoriesand learned so many unforgettable lessons aboutourselves, our surroundings, and our capabilities. Despitethe current economic downturns, it seems thatVietHopes investment had a priceless return.And to this, we must thank our sponsors like the Unionof North American Vietnamese Student Associations(uNAVSA) for their support, the university students

from USP and from the States for inspiring us, our staffvolunteers, who spent relentless hours and believedstrongly in the Summits success. And the best way for

VietHope to express our gratitude is to say: Welldefinitely see you next year at the Second Annual YouthDevelopment Summit!

Students and Viethope facilitators, who participated in the Youth Development Summnit, summer 2009

This is a remark from a second year college student who

shared her thoughts after she participated in the Youth

Development Summit.

I dont know what else to say but to comment on theawesome VietHope Youth Development Summit. TheSummit went beyond my expectations. It provided memany unforgettable moments and helped me to furtherunderstand the current social issues. Learning is a vitalcomponent of our lives, and the Summit has given me

more motivation to learn. I am very fortunate to have theopportunity to learn while many others dont have thesame opportunity like I have. This learning opportunityenhances my love for life and resilience in life.

Students went outside to learn t he concept of networking. Youth Development Summit, summer 2009

Ways to SupportVietHope:VietHopewelcomes anyone

who believes in ourmission. There are anumber of ways inwhich you cansupport VietHope:

Sponsor a studentthrough one of

VietHopes 3ScholarshipPrograms

Donate toVietHopesinfrastructure

investmentprogram

Spread awarenessabout VietHopeand VietHopesmission

Donate time andenergy bybecoming a

VietHopevolunteer

[email protected]
http://www.viethope.org/http://www.viethope.org/http://www.viethope.org/http://www.viethope.org/http://www.viethope.org/http://www.viethope.org/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.viethope.org/http://www.viethope.org/http://www.viethope.org/


4/5


VIETHOPE NEWSLETTER


An Unforgettable ExperienceBy Ha Huynh, Summit facilitator from Vietnam

In April 2009, I received a phone call from Phong(VietHope Executive Director in Viet Nam) to schedulea meeting to discuss the upcoming Youth DevelopmentSummit. He introduced me to Nga, with whom I workedclosely on the Project Management module. By the endof May, I was introduced to Ha, Thu, and Hung, othervolunteers who recently joined VietHope. Our meetingswere fruitful and enjoyable because we sharedVietHopes dreams.

On June 6th, Nga and I used Skype to discuss the ProjectManagement module with Uyen-Khanh (ProjectManagement module coordinator in the U.S.). I wasimpressed by Uyen-Khanhs Vietnamese during ourphone discussion. We drafted a good plan for themodule. I was inspired by Uyen-Khanhs enthusiasmand warm heart. On June 20th, facilitators had a trainingconference call with Quang and Vi (SummitChairwomen). Quang is intelligent and professionalwhile Vi is lovely and outgoing. As a facilitator, I foundthe training conference call very useful in preparing ourmodule rehearsal at Cu Chi Province.

Ha Huynh, second from the l eft and VietHope facilitators, Youth Development Summit, summer 2009

Eight days later, we went to Cu Chi Province to rehearsethe program. There I met Oanh (Summit Advisor), whomI had not seen since last winter. At Cu Chi, we workedhard throughout the day. We received importantfeedbacks from Oanh and each team recognized theirstrengths and made improvements on their weaknesses.

Finally, on July 4th, we were ready to present the ProjectManagement Module to VietHope students. I took a dayoff from work to host the module and my day off wasworthwhile. Throughout the entire day, I immersedmyself in the youthful, vibrant spirit of VietHopestudents.

The students amazed me when I first met them. Sinceusually Vietnamese students are passive participants in

open forum discussion, Nga and I prepared interestingactivities to motivate them to have active dialogues. Westarted the module by asking the students to define

project management. To our surprise, many studentsraised their hands. They amazed us with their self-confidence and energy during group discussions and casestudies presentations. From that moment on, I knew thatthe concern about Vietnamese students being reluctant tospeak in group discussions was unnecessary because Iwitnessed the cheerfulness and determination in theireyes. These students had grown and matured a greatdeal since I last saw them at VietHope Camping Day.

VietHope facilitators and volunteers, Youth Development Summit, summer 2009

To give is to receive. Being there at Cu Chi Province andpresenting the PM module to the students, I was able toshare with them my own experiences working in anadvertising firm. I made many new friends and through

their youthful spirit, I felt as though I was five yearsyounger. The friendship I received from students mademe feel alive and enriched. I truly love VietHopestudents and volunteers!

Students went outside to discuss Product Management Module. Youth Development Summit, summer

2009

VietHope events andactivities:

VietHope Retreatwill be at Tahoescheduled for Jan.15-18th (moreinformation tocome on

www.viethope.org/contact Tiffany [email protected])

Release of WinterNewsletter(December 2009)

Please visitwww.viethope.orgformore details onupcoming events andactivities

[email protected]
http://www.viethope.org/http://www.viethope.org/http://www.viethope.org/http://www.viethope.org/http://www.viethope.org/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.viethope.org/http://www.viethope.org/http://www.viethope.org/http://www.viethope.org/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.viethope.org/http://www.viethope.org/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.viethope.org/http://www.viethope.org/http://www.viethope.org/


5/5


VIETHOPE NEWSLETTER


DONATIONS FROM CORPORATIONS

VietHope would like to acknowledge the generousdonations from its corporate supporters.

Please send your preference to

[email protected] on whether you would like toreceive an e-newsletter or a hard copy of VietHope

Newsletter. Thank you.

for a prosperous Vietnam tomorrow

D o n a t i o n F o r m(Online donations accepted via www.viethope.org)

The objective of VietHopes Scholarship &University programs is to provide financialassistance to children in poor rural areas in Vietnamwho cannot afford the costs of continuing theireducation. The students are selected on the basis offinancial need, performance in school, and theirmotivation to excel. Your contribution will directly

support the education costs for these children.

Name:_______________________________

Address:_________________________________________________________________

Email:_______________________________

Please check one or several of the boxes:

I wish to sponsor a child throughVietHopes Merit Scholarship Program.With my support of $120/year, I will help

children in Vietnam attain a higher levelof education

I wish to make a contribution of $_____towards the University ScholarshipProgram

I wish to support and become moreinvolved in VietHopes work by becominga member for $25

I wish to make a general donation toVietHope in the amount of $______

*Please make checks payable to:

VietHope, Inc.423 Brookline Avenue, #199

Boston, MA 02215

______________________________Signature Date

VietHope

Executive

Committee

Lynn Huynh,

President

Alan Tu,

Co-Vice President

& Public Relations

Quang Tran,

Co-Vice President

Nam-Tran Nguyen

Board of Directors

Oanh Nguyen

Board of Directors

Phong Nguyen,

Executive Director (VN)

Chau Nguyen,

Treasurer/ Admin Chair

Quang Duong,

USP Co-Chair (USA)

Minh Phuong Dang,

USP Co-Chair (VN)

Minh Trang Nguyen,

Merit Chair

Tiffany Phan,

CSP Co-Chair (USA)

My Hue Nguyen,

CSP Co-Chair (VN)

Van Nguyen,

Fundraising Chair

Uyen-Khanh Q. Dang,

PR Co-Chair

Tai Phan,

Director of

Communications

[email protected]
http://www.viethope.org/http://www.viethope.org/http://www.viethope.org/http://www.viethope.org/http://www.viethope.org/http://www.viethope.org/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.viethope.org/mailto:[email protected]://www.viethope.org/http://www.viethope.org/http://www.viethope.org/

Date post:	30-May-2018
Category:	Documents
Upload:	viethope-inc
View:	216 times
Download:	0 times

VietHope_ Holiday Newsletter 2009

Documents