I received the following message just before Thanksgiving and Peter asked me to share it with his friends and neighbors at Arrowhead Gardens. My response follows his message. It reminds us of what people endure to reach our shores and enjoy what we often take for granted. It gives us each an extra reason for giving thanks. South Park became the new home for Vietnamese refugees who just barely made it out of Viet Nam at the end of that terrible war. They have become citizens and their contributions to our neighborhood are significant.
-- Laura Ramsey
-- Laura Ramsey
American Brothers and Sisters!
After the Vietnam War ended in 1975, hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese have escaped from Vietnamese communists by sea crossing the Pacific Ocean or by land through Kampuchea to Thailand. Thousands of people have died on the high seas or in the jungles. The US government and US citizens have taken us and help us to resettle firmly on this land of Freedom and Democracy. Our children and we have learned successfully and actively involved in all areas, from labor to science and defense, because we think America is our second homeland.
Dear friends!
On the Thanksgiving holidays, my wife my children and I would like to send our sincere thanks to ALL of YOU. May God bless everyone and have a life always full of spiritual and physical happiness.
Best regards,
Peter Quenguyen
SPSC Site Coordinator& Social Worker
DECCA & Seattle NH Contractor
After the Vietnam War ended in 1975, hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese have escaped from Vietnamese communists by sea crossing the Pacific Ocean or by land through Kampuchea to Thailand. Thousands of people have died on the high seas or in the jungles. The US government and US citizens have taken us and help us to resettle firmly on this land of Freedom and Democracy. Our children and we have learned successfully and actively involved in all areas, from labor to science and defense, because we think America is our second homeland.
Dear friends!
On the Thanksgiving holidays, my wife my children and I would like to send our sincere thanks to ALL of YOU. May God bless everyone and have a life always full of spiritual and physical happiness.
Best regards,
Peter Quenguyen
SPSC Site Coordinator& Social Worker
DECCA & Seattle NH Contractor
From us at Arrowhead Gardens:
My Dear Friend Peter,
What a lovely Thanksgiving message! Thank you. I want to assure you and yours that, in turn, we celebrate with thanksgiving the addition to our country of our Vietnamese brothers and sisters. Unlike you, this wonderful country is ours by birth and most of us fail to understand how difficult and fraught with danger the journey from Vietnam must have been.
Please know that the majority of your new friends and neighbors share with you the search for a better life for their families. The addition to our American communities of the rich and time-honored Vietnamese culture contributes much to our efforts to achieve this common goal.
Let us link hands and hearts during this Thanksgiving season. And, in doing so, let us ask that we all be blessed with just a little more tolerance of our differences and a celebration of our shared hopes and dreams.
Warm regards,
Laura Ramsey, Past President
Board of Directors
South Park Senior Citizens
My Dear Friend Peter,
What a lovely Thanksgiving message! Thank you. I want to assure you and yours that, in turn, we celebrate with thanksgiving the addition to our country of our Vietnamese brothers and sisters. Unlike you, this wonderful country is ours by birth and most of us fail to understand how difficult and fraught with danger the journey from Vietnam must have been.
Please know that the majority of your new friends and neighbors share with you the search for a better life for their families. The addition to our American communities of the rich and time-honored Vietnamese culture contributes much to our efforts to achieve this common goal.
Let us link hands and hearts during this Thanksgiving season. And, in doing so, let us ask that we all be blessed with just a little more tolerance of our differences and a celebration of our shared hopes and dreams.
Warm regards,
Laura Ramsey, Past President
Board of Directors
South Park Senior Citizens
Peter Quenguyen - Seattle Human Services Coalition Advocacy Award 2016
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