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Teen raising funds for Vietnamese street children
Danville-Sycamore Rotary joins Chi Nguyen's fundraising efforts

by Kevin Zhou

Two years ago, Chi Nguyen came to the Danville-Sycamore Rotary with a proposal. She wanted to know if they would help her raise money for impoverished children living in Vietnam.

Nguyen first approached the Rotary Club when she was just a junior in high school. Because she knew Rotary was involved in many local and international projects, she asked if she could give a talk to the members about her passion for helping Vietnamese children. Nguyen ended up showing a short video clip with pictures of the places she had visited, and she said the reaction she received was incredible.

"They were wonderfully receptive and supportive," said Nguyen, now a freshman at Stanford University. "I found them extremely warm and inviting, and eager to learn more about my projects."

Chuck Cobery, a six-year member of the club, was most impressed by her passion.

"She's very inspiring and has a large amount of energy," he said. "She's very talented and very smart, and she's determined to continue supporting her goal. We're committed to helping her do that also."

However, as much as the Rotary Club wanted to help, some members still met Nguyen's proposal with skepticism. They weren't sure how a 15-year-old high school student, who already had her hands full with school and extracurricular activities, would be able to organize all of the fundraisers.

"I told them I always made sleep optional," said Nguyen.

Over the past few years, the Danville-Sycamore Rotary has played a large role in Nguyen's efforts. They have allowed her to speak at meetings to update members on her progress and to educate them about the dire conditions in Vietnam, and have helped her raise money for shelters for street children. During a fundraiser last year, Nguyen made more than $500 in candy sales alone.

"In these two years I've built a very warm relationship with the club as a whole and with many of the members," said Nguyen. "They have supported these three past (benefit) concerts, buying tickets, allowing me to continue making appearances at their Rotary meetings, buying almond toffee, and of course showing up at the concert."

"The club treats her like a daughter," said Kim Nguyen, Chi's mother.

Nguyen's seventh annual Benefit Concert for Vietnam Youth, will be held at 2 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 12, at the Amador Theater in Pleasanton. She organized the earlier ones with her older sister Truc.

The Danville-Sycamore Rotary plans on lending an even bigger hand soon. They would like to make a $5,000 donation to Nguyen, which can also be matched by the Rotary Foundation.

"We've been kicking it around for the last six to eight months," said Cobery, who is on the club's international committee. "Within our committee, we are given dollars to play with. I'm a Vietnam era veteran, and those kinds of things tend to get my attention. We hope this will be more of a long-term relationship than just a one-time show."

"I think we owe more than a little bit to Vietnam, and I thought this could be a good way to do something," he added.

Music to help

What: Seventh annual Children's Benefit Concert to raise money for the street children of Can Tho, Vietnam

Program: Traditional Vietnamese musician Van Anh Vo and the Viet Spring Folk Ensemble; Canh Chim Bach Viet dance and Hung Vuong martial arts troupe; clarinetist Bill Wohlmacher; and pianist Ellen Wassermann

Who: Sponsored by Chi and Truc Nguyen and the Viet Nam Health Education and Literature Projects, a nonprofit organization helping children and communities in Vietnam

When: 2 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 12

Where: Amador Theater, 1155 Santa Rita Road, Pleasanton

Admission: $10 presale; $12 at the door

Information: Call 275-9250 or visit www.vnyouthprojects.net