Click here for article of bikes and sandals distribution
2008 RECIPIENTS OF CCSS BICYCLE CAMPAIGN
| NAME GRADE
1 Võ Văn Thành 7
2 Cao Xuân Hào 7
3 Nguyễn Thị Thủy 6
4 Hồ Thị Hương 5
5 Nguyễn Văn Hữu 7
6 Nguyễn Thị Trang 5
7 Nguyễn Thị Tài 9
8 Đặng Thị Nhung 8
9 Đặng Văn Thanh 7
10 Phạm Văn Điệp 6
11 Hồ Phi Cường 7
12 Hòang Văn Nghi 7
13 Đặng Văn Dương 6
14 Đặng Văn Tài 6
15 Võ Công Thăng 8
16 Hồ Phi Khánh 6
17 Hồ Thị Tiến 6
18 Nguyễn Thị Hương 7
19 Nguyễn Thị Hương 8
20 Nguyễn Thị Gương 6
21 Nguyễn Thị Lam 5
22 Trần Thị Hải 6
23 Nguyễn Thị Hương 8
24 Nguyễn Văn Bình 6
25 Đặng Thị Huyền 8
26 Đặng Thị Yên 7
27 Phạm Thị Hương 8
28 Phạm Thị Nguyệt 4
29 Nguyễn Thị Yên 4
30 Võ Văn Thăng 5
31 Nguyễn Minh Công 11
32 Nguyễn Thị Linh Hoà 8
33 Nguyễn Thị Phươc' 11
34 Hồ Văn Tuấn 8
35 Hồ Thị Phương 11
36 Phan Thanh Tới 11
37 Phan Thị Mậu 10
38 Nguyễn Văn Ngà
39 Nguyễn Thị Hồng 12
40 Nguyễn Quốc Tiến 7
41 Nguyễn Đình Thống |
In April 2008 through our Bicycles Campaign we were able to award 10 bicycles to 10 poor students in Nghe An, North Vietnam. Thanks to our donors who have generously responded to our appeal to help each poor student with a purchase of a $50 bicycle so they can commute to school. Please see the picture of Fr. Linh and the children receiving our first 10 bicycles. We received the following email message from Fr. Linh, Pastor of Phi Loc Parish in Nghe An:
"Dear Sr. Cecilia and the Community of Charity and Social Services... My name is Fr. Joseph Linh Dinh Nguyen, Pastor of Phi Loc Catholic Church, Diocese of Vinh. First of all, allow me to send you my warm greetings and wishes of good health. May our Lord grant to all the members of the Community of Charity and Social Services and our benefactors constant joy in His service.
Dear Sister.. It gives us great happiness to be God's children, and even when we have never met, but through Brother Tiep, you and the Community of Charity and Social Services sent us $500 USD to purchase 10 bicycles for 10 students from families who are struggling financially. These are blessings from heaven, and of our own, we cannot repay you. We offer our prayers to God and ask God to record in His Book of Life the names of all of our benefactors.
Phi Loc Parish, where I am currently ministering, is a poor parish located in the rural area. We have families here who have three, four children who are still in school but have only one bicycle. If one child rides the bicycle to school, his/her siblings will have to walk to school. Even though the parents love their children, they cannot provide for their children's needs. It is already a struggle for the parents to feed, provide clothings, and pay for their children's tuition in school (school is NOT free in Vietnam). The 10 children who received the 10 new and beautiful bicycles repeated among themselves: "This is like a dream." I feel sorry for the children standing nearby and not receiving a bicycle like other children. Great joy appeared on the faces of the children who received the bicycles, while deep sadness could be detected on the faces of other children who watched and wish they too could be so lucky. These children asked me:
"Father, will we ever have bicycles like those? Their question prompted sadness within me, and I could not answer their question directly, but only reassured them with these words: "My children... try to be good, diligent in your studies, and pray constantly and God will provide. Dear Sisters... Once again, on behalf of the children in our parish, we want to express our sincere gratitude to you and our benefactors and keep us in your prayers. Phi Loc Parish....April 27, 2008... Rev. Joseph Linh Dinh Nguyen."
With only a gift of $50 (1 bicycle), $100 (2 bicycles), $500 (10 bicycles) you can help us purchase more bicycles for the children who are waiting to share the same joy with their friends who were lucky to be the first recipients of our first 10 bicycles. The happiness perceived in the eyes of these poor children is the greatest joy you can give. By providing them with a bicycle, you are ensuring to keep them in school and giving them hope for a brighter future.
Please make your tax deductible donation to "CCSS" and send it to our address below. Make sure you write on the memo of the check "bicycle":
CCSS
c/o Sr. Cecilia Nguyen
PO BOX 29555
Washington, DC 20017
Bicycles and Sandals Campaign by Theresa Le - July 2008
The children of Phi Loc (a small town inside Nghe An province, VN) are excited today. They have been told they are getting new sandals, and some of them might be getting bicycles.
Brother Thanh, after having gone away for 4 years to help Bishop Hoan with his work in Phan Thiet, had returned home for a week to visit his family in Phi Loc. He was tasked with compiling a list of students to receive bicycles and sandals. Sister Cecilia had given him $2000 USD for bicycles, enough money for 40 bicycles, at $50 USD each. She also gave him $300 USD for sandals, which he went to the local market and bought about 200 pairs, at about $1.50-2.00 USD each. He did the simple math: There are 274 children in this little town, that means some children won't be getting sandals. A sigh of relief came when Sister Cecilia called and said an American friend gave another $110 USD towards sandals, he quickly ran to the market and bought the rest, with a few extras. Alleluia! Now none of them will go home empty handed.
Normally there are kites flying all over the dirt roads leading into Phi Loc. Normally the children would be tending their water buffaloes and cows or herding ducks. Everyday the children get up at 3:45 am and attending mass at the nearby church. Afterwards they go to school. They come home around noon from school to eat lunch, take their naps and start their chores. From 7:30pm to 9:30 pm the children go to CCD (religious education).
Depending on certain time of the year, the children would be helping their p arents with the rice fields chores. Other times they would plant potatoes or corn and vegetables. But not today. There were no kite flying while herding the buffaloes, because they hear d guests are coming with new sandals and bicycles! They quickly did their chores and hurried home to tie down the cows and buffaloes.
Their sandals have been worn and torn, having walked 5 Km to and from school every day, the same sandals worn for field work and going to church. The high schools are even further away, thus the bicycles would be given to the high school students. So today is an exciting day! They waited since 10 am in the church yard.
Brother Thanh is getting anxious, it's 3:00 pm and no sign of the guests. He called Sister Cecilia, who is en route from Hanoi. It's taking her 7 hours by car to travel down this way. Sister Cecilia said her van had been pulled over by police in Hanoi and she's going to be a little late. "Some of the parents have biked here 40 Km for this event" he said to her "and they're getting anxious". It was hot, sweat had permeated through his shirt as he waited at the market, the entrance into Phi Loc. Finally a va n showed up with a familiar face. He waved, smiled, opened the van's door and hopped in. 3:30pm. He said hi to everyone and showed the driver the way to Phi Loc Parish.
The van wobbled slowly on the small dirt road, through vast green rice fields on both sides, entering the gate of Phi Loc. So rural is the area, the houses are small rectangular shapes, dirt floor, with a hay stack in the front yard. Chicken scurried out of the way. A cow looked up curiously at the moving van.
The children flocked to the van as it pulled in pass the church gate. Fr. Linh, Pastor of Phi Loc Parish, walked towards Sister Cecilia to greet her. She sent $500 in April 2008 so Fr. Linh can purchase 10 bicycles for 10 students, and she is now back to give 40 more. Sister introduced her friend, a Viet lady from Washington DC, carrying a camera.
At 4:00 pm Fr. Linh gave a special welcoming mass. Sister had politely hinted to Fr. Linh to keep his sermon short, since the children are tired and anxious to get their gifts.
Finally the moment everyone has been waiting for. Brother Thanh lined all the children up according to their school classes and one by one received their sandals. The children did not fight over which sandals are prettier, they simply and gratefully bowed their heads as they received the sandals. "She doesn't have a pair yet", whispered a little girl to Sister pointing to a girl standing next to her. They even looked out for each other. Sister also gave each of them a Banh Com, a sweet treat specially made and ordered from Hanoi.
Next the bicycles are given out to 30 poor students. The 10 are given out to students with good grades. Their faces lit up, their eyes sparkled with tremendous joy as they proudly walked away with their bikes. It's a dream come true to be getting a bicycle, now they can ride their bike to school rather than having to walk in the heat, they can even carry their small sibling in the back of their bike, and groceries...So much they can do!
The children ran off, some with their new sandals, sweet treats in hands, some rode off on their new bicycles. The church yard was filled with giggles and children's laughter. Oh the joy of owning a brand new pair of sandals and bicycle!
Writer's notes: As a helper travelling with Sister Cecilia, I've become a photo journalist on the spot. I witnessed something so beautiful and want to share with the rest of the world: The joy of giving. Here every dollar counts. If you're interested in making a donation towards sandals ($2.00/pair) and bicycles ($50 each), please write your check payable to "CCSS" and send it to:
Sr. Cecilia Nguyen, CCSS
St. Ambrose Catholic Church
3901 Woodburn Road
Annandale, VA 22003
For further inquiry, please contact:
ceciliantt@yahoo.com
(703) 280-1122
(240) 486-1961
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