Life Changing Experience

One of my life changing experiences was a trip in summer 2008 in which I took to visit a charity house with the Red Cross organization. My trip consisted of learning about the history of Vietnam and its medical implementations in Cu Chi Province, a suburb of Saigon city. Cu Chi Tunnel was one of the famous historical battlefields during the Vietnam War. It was a place where hundreds and thousands of soldiers from both sides were killed. Thousand tons of chemical warfare were dropped during the war mainly Agent Orange. This chemical not only inflicted immediate casualties for the enemy but also caused mutations in births in the following generation. The war ended more than thirty years ago, however, the horror of Agent Orange still reflects through the post-war children. The Vietnamese government took little interest on the lives of these children. Moreover, the world seemed to forget their existence. Their lives are compared to lives of the grasshoppers.

Fortunately, several privately funded orphanages in the area were willing to foster these children. Even though I had mentally and emotionally prepared for the trip, I was incompetent when I first arrived there. The charity home was in much worse condition than what I imagined. Most of the facility was in ruin. There were no such things as common playground or nurse’s clinic. Even the charity home which fostered 120 children with mostly brain damage from birth; did not have sufficiently the infrastructure to provide minimum care for these children. The children all lived in four rooms. Some were lying on the floor while others slept in the cradles. Upon being informed of our arrival, these children were really happy to see us there. They welcomed us with smiles on their faces. Relief and comfort soon replaced my awkwardness. I was able to interact with them better as the day progressed. The group’s mission for that day was to clean up the mushroom farm. The farm was the primary financial support and food source of the charity house. The owner utilized the profit on the farm to purchase most needed items for the orphanage.

The work was very exhausting. Nonetheless, it was fun and rewarding. I felt like the little work that I put in had an impact in these children’s lives. It was entertaining working along with the children by learning what they do in their every day lifestyle. The more I got to know them, the more fortunate I felt about my life. These children changed my life into being a better person. This trip touched every aspect of my life. After the trip, I appreciated how grateful I was to be born healthy and to be able to pursue the life and the career that I desire. It was a gift that I will take with me as I become educated in my studies to be able to visit again and make a difference in their lives as they did mine.

I believe that our team this summer 2009 will make an enormous impact in the lives of these children. We will change the world not because we have to, but we want to. Would you like to help our team by contributing? Visit our website for more information: http://students.washington.edu/vsauw/wgf.html.

- Patrick Pham

Thank you from your event photographer - Wellness Global Foundation

Hello everyone,

This note is to thank everyone from the foundation, our sponsors, and our guests for attending the Wellness Global Foundation Benefits Dinner on Saturday night. The event was successful due to first and foremost our generous sponsors and guests who donated their time, effort, and finance in order to make this happen. And of course without our wonderful members, volunteers, as well as Tea Palace’s commitment, we would not have such a wonderful night.

As the event photographer, I was able to capture all (I hope) of the fun times we all had that night. I hope the pictures are pleasant for you to look at and help others sees that in helping others, we find happiness for ourselves as well. I hope to be there to take more wonderful pictures of our team’s effort in Vietnam this July.

If you wish for certain photographs in higher resolution, please contact me at NguyenPH@u.washington.edu and I will be more than happy to work on getting them to you in a timely fashion. Currently, resolutions up to 800x600 of high quality photographs will be available on my photography website:

http://flickr.com/photos/alvinnguyenphotography/sets/72157614403107806/

In the mean time, we will be having future events and I hope that you can be there with us to support our efforts. Please keep in mind that in addition to the money we are raising for the medicine, each team member is in charge of their own fundraising for the expense of the trip. So please, support our team members by giving what you can. We all thank you and appreciate every little thing that you can provide, whether it’s financial or moral support.

Thank you once again for your generous support,

Alvin Phong Nguyen

PS I will be working on event and personal photo shoots to raise money for our cause so if you know anyone that needs a photographer and help our charity efforts at the same time, please let me know. Thank you J

Benefit Auction and Dinner

What a night!
Pictures can be seen on these sites from our photographers:
Alvin Nguyen - http://flickr.com/photos/alvinnguyenphotography/sets/72157614403107806/
Harry Hu - http://harryhu.zenfolio.com/p889372493

We had such a huge turnout that made the evening memorable. The auction, dinner,and fashion show along with eye catching performances kept the night full of surprises . Twenty-one tables were filled with family, friends, and members of the community that believed in our cause. We would like to thank the sponsors, guests, and volunteers who helped us get closer to our goal. With out your support we couldn't have made it this far.

Recap of the evening:

Masters of Ceremonies
Alvin Tran and Thao-Nguyen Le

Silent Auction
String Quartet - Samson Lu, Jonathan Schooler, Anna Gorn, and Natalie Hall

Presentation
Toan Nguyen, M.D - President, Wellness Global Foundation
Thuy-Tien Le, D.O. - President, Thu Van Le, Inc.
Hong-Yen Chau - Chair, Vietnam Medical Clinic

Entertainment
“Minh Em Voi Em” - Mylien Pham & Vinh Nguyen
“Thuong Nhau Ly To Hong” - Van Lang Language School, Members: Khanh Nguyen, Duong Tran, Truc Ngo, Dee Dee Tran, Anna Quach, Christina Nghiem, Christine Tran, and Julie Ngo
“Boi Vi Anh Yeu Em” - Thao Nguyen & Kiet Pham
“Look At Me When I Get Buck In Here” - Elev8 Hip-Hop Crew: Lamberto R. Yaya, Jr., Allen Jiang, Kenny Chou, Douglas Chua, Valerie Hoang, Thaovy Vo, Ming Huang and Christina Liang
“Suong Trang Mien Que Ngoai” - Tuan Nguyen
“Tinh Con Phong Ba” - Nhom Mua Thien Nhien, Members: MyLien Pham, Amy Vuong, Th ao Nguyen, Lynn Tran, and Phuong Nguyen
"Paintings" and "Sleepless" - Dust & Ashes, Members: Samuel Shin, Danny Park, and Danny Lee
"Dem Nho Anh" - Linh “Taro” Pham

Fashion Show
Thao Nguyen, Mylien Pham, Amy Vuong, Amy Hoang Nguyen, Thi-Le Vo, Selena Nguyen, Khanh-Minh Trieu, Duy Anh Cao,Tiffany Nguyen, Dieu Trinh Dang, ToQuyen Truong, Mary Bui, Trysteen Tran, and Jenny Nguyen

Live Auction Items
Áo Dài – Orange traditional Vietnamese dress, Donated by Thuy Duong Designs
Painting – “Fair Maiden” (23.75in x 31.75in), Oil painting on canvas. Gallery wrapped and stretched on backing.
Custom gold 1-inch wooden frame with scroll accents. Ready to hang.
Painting – “Relaxation” (30.75in x 24.75in) Oil painting on canvas. Gallery wrapped and stretched on backing. Custom gold 1-inch wooden frame with scroll accents. Ready to hang.

Silent Auction - Basket Items
[no. 01] “Silky Smooth” Bath & Body Works
[no. 02] “Silky Smooth...Again” Bath & Body Works
[no. 03] “The Stylist” Regis Salon
[no. 04] ”Be Fresh” soap/cleanser
[no. 05] “Keep My Ride Blinging” car wash
[no. 06] “Entertainment in a Box” DVD player 5.1 channel
[no. 07] “Move Over, Federer!” tennis, racquet/ball
[no. 08] “Move Over, A-Roid!” baseball & bat
[no. 09] “Little Picasso” arts & crafts (kids)
[no. 10] “Pimp My Ride - 1:24 Scale” model car kit (Porsche)
[no. 11] “Crochet for Dummies” knitting basket
[no. 12] “Newborn Nirvana” baby clothes/Gerber basket
[no. 13] “Snuggable Tigger” Tigger stuff animal
[no. 14] “Let’s Find Nemo!” Nemo/ hot chocolate
[no. 15] “[Finding Nemo] - 16 Scrabble pts” Nemo/hot choc/Scrabble
[no. 16] “Wine from Spain Sampler” (3 bottles) - Spain (white, red, rose)
[no. 17] “Napa Valley Reds” (3 bottles) – Calif (merlot, merlot, cabernet)
[no. 18] “Global Wine Sampler” (3 bottles) (Australia & Chile chardonnay, Argentina red)
[no. 19] “Doctor-on-the-Go” global health books
[no. 20] “Kitchen Heaven” kitchen/cooking supplies
[no. 21] “Snuggle Up by the Fireplace” throw/pillow, DVD, hot choc, Oreos
[no. 22] “Basket-Full of Endorphins” assorted chocolates
[no. 23] “Tea Time” tea pot set/green tea/candles
[no. 24] “Dentist Nightmare” candy basket
[no. 25] “Zen Aromas” Asian tea & coffee basket
[no. 26] “The Baker in You” cookie jar/baking basket
[no. 27] “Big Island Cookie” Hawaiian Cookie basket
[no. 28] “Made in Japan” sushi-making set/origami set
[no. 29] “Burning the Midnight Oil” Starbucks mug/coffee, $20 Gift Card
[no. 30] “Memories to Build” Scrapbooking supplies
[no. 31] “Truffles” Chocolate delights
[no. 32] “Movie Night” Movie, tickets, and popcorn

Silent Auction – Single Items included wedding decorations, movie tickets, jewelry, hand painted plaques, massages, California Pizza Kitchen, and REI rock climbing tickets.


Thank you from the Vietnam Medical Clinic Board.