September 21, 2023
Dear valued community member and partner,
With fall around the corner, we hope that you all are having a wonderful start to the school year. In my first nine months as Executive Director of VietAID, I have had the privilege to work alongside dedicated, talented folks within our organization, throughout the nonprofit industry, and across sectors to provide robust services, programming, and affordable housing to thousands of community members.
Thank you for choosing VietAID as a partner, whether it’s through your child’s early education at Âu Cơ, teen’s leadership development, elderly relatives’ day activities, housing, or overall holding space. Thank you for your support and collaboration as an integral part of our community, whether as a participant, colleague, or both.
As we celebrate 29 years of groundbreaking community work, we reflect on the last three and a half years since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. We express gratitude for our essential workers in healthcare, government, hospitality, food provision, and community spaces.
Early on, we knew that VietAID’s greatest contribution was our ability to connect with those in need, and that we had the relationships and space within our community center to provide crucial services. Along with key partners, we led in transforming space within the community center including the Great Hall and library into a food distribution site that served thousands and provided millions of pounds of culturally relevant food, some of which VietAID still continues. We shared masking guidelines, vaccination availability, and testing kits once available.
Since the pandemic began, we’ve secured over 2,000 families over $3 million in rent relief and $5 million in unemployment funds. This year, we are eager to honor the heroes among us—whose resolve and creativity pulled us through the pandemic. Their contributions were immeasurable, and we could not have done this without them—without each other.
We gladly invite you to our upcoming 9th Annual VietAID Gala: Illuminating Our Heroes on Saturday October 21, 2023 at 6pm, located at IUEC Local 4 at 50 Park St, Dorchester, MA 02122.
Please join us for dinner with Vietnamese favorites, live music, and entertainment. There will also be a live and silent auction as well as raffle prizes. This is a wonderful opportunity for folks throughout our beautiful city of Boston and beyond to reconnect and to celebrate all the fantastic work happening at VietAID. If you are able to contribute to our organization’s sustainability, we strongly encourage you to do so. We appreciate any amount you can give.
If, for any reason, the amount listed is still too high for you and your family to attend, please let us know. Please call, visit vietaidgala2023.eventbrite.com, or drop by our office for more details.
Thank you again for your support of our program, and we hope to see you soon!!
Sincerely
George Huynh
Executive Director