Vietnam Dream for Success

HEADLINES

2008 Annual Lavang Gala
Sunday, December 7th, 2008 - 6pm:

Harvest Moon Restaurant

7260 Arlington Blvd, Falls Church,

VA 22042 (703) 573-6000

Tickets are on sale NOW!
240-486-1961 More

Vietnam Veterans Involved with VDS More

Darrah Hollenbach: Our Volunteer English Teacher's Experience at the Lavang Boarding House. More

Students' Appreciations: We invite you to read their stories and journey with them in their sentiments of joy and gratitude. More

PAST EVENTS

2006 Annual Lavang Gala: More

Recognitions: More

Appeal Letter From Sr. Cecilia Nguyen, CCSS
President and Co-Founder

September 20, 2008

Dear VDS Friends/Supporters,

May Christ’s peace be with you!

This past July I was privileged to return toVietnam and spent a few weeks with the students at the Lavang Boarding House. All the students are well and are immersing in the studies as usual. On July 26 we celebrated the graduation of two of our students who were enrolled in a two year program as veterinarian technicians. We have also helped them find a job assisting the pig development program operated by the Community of Charity and Social Services in Ham Tan. Dinh Thi Lu and Nguyen Thi Oanh are our first graduates, the first fruits of the Lavang Boarding House, and we are extremely happy for them. Within one, two, three…years…others will follow them, thus securing stable jobs to support themselves and their families. With a college education and a stable career, our students will no longer need to “dream” but actually live a better quality of life, thanks to our benefactors!

A friend and I traveled to Nghe An (north Vietnam), visited the Phi Loc parish, a rural area about 7 hours drive from Ha Noi. We attended Mass with the families and distributed 34 bicycles, 274 pairs of sandals, and 500 treats to the children. Since April we have provided 64 bicycles in total to this village. It was indeed a memorable and awesome experience to witness the joy on the faces of the children and to see a sigh of relief from the parents who otherwise cannot afford to buy even one bicycle for their many children. We promised to return again and to do what we can to ensure that the children are motivated to remain in school. We also want to assure the parents that their long hours of hard work in the rice fields and their dedication to the upbringing of their children, including their efforts of making sure their children’s education is their first priority in life, will be acknowledged with deep appreciation.

I also visited the Lavang Library at White Dove Parish in the Diocese of Phan Thiet. Vietnam Dream for Success assisted $3,000 at the beginning of 2008 to help the parish establish a small library with books and bookshelves for the children. Fr. Nam, pastor of this parish, is doing a wonderful job. There are two reading rooms with books, one for younger children and one for young adults. It is a very fulfilling experience to witness the children at the tables in the library and also on the steps outside immersing in the books they held in their hands. I am very pleased with the set up and books that are now available for the children to read. Fr. Nam would commute to Saigon and would select each book himself to ensure that the books are good reading materials for our children.

At the beginning of this year, through the generosity of our benefactors, we were able to distribute 68 scholarships for elementary and high school students, 5 scholarships for 5 college students, and provide room, board, and scholarships to 12 women college students residing at the Lavang Boarding House in Saigon. Currently we have 11 students and will be accepting several more students this year.

This has been a great year of countless blessings. We thank God for His providence and protection over all of our students, and we express our gratitude to our friends and supporters who make it possible for us to help change the lives of these poor children, young adults, and women in Vietnam for the better.

As President and Co-Founder of Vietnam Dream for Success I am appealing for your assistance once again to enable us to make it possible for these students and their families and many other young college students who will come after them have a chance to live a better quality of life. Our once-a-year “annual direct mail appeal” to our donors can help with the educational and operational/maintenance expenses of the boarding house, as well as funding a library and providing scholarships for elementary, high school, and college students.

We are asking that you assist us with $120 a year. Please consider putting $10 a month in a piggy bank. By the end of the year you will have $120 to support VDS’ Lavang Boarding House, Lavang Library, and Lavang Scholarships and directly change the lives of many.

Please make your $120 donation to VDS (Vietnam Dream for Success) and send it to our address below. VDS is a 501 (c) (3) non profit organization. Donations made to VDS are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Vietnam Dream for Success (VDS)
c/o Sr. Cecilia Nguyen, CCSS
P. O. Box 29555
Washington, DC 20017 USA

As always we are profoundly grateful for your continued prayers and support and ask God’s blessings upon you and your family. Please visit our website for updated news.

Gratefully yours in Christ,

Sr. Cecilia T. Nguyen, CCSS, President and Co-Founder