December 2014, the GGB Team
Our first fundraising dinner was a smashing hit, thanks to the almost 350 people who attended. We raised just over $24,000! Considering that we had only been formalized as a non-profit organization this past October, we are so proud and humbled with the amount of support that have been given to us. The support given to us by our Honorary Patron, Mr. Vo Ngoc Khoi, since before we were recognized as a non-profit has been heartwarming. We have already used a portion of the money on projects in Lima, Peru and Ha Giang, Vietnam, and have a few more planned for this coming New Year.
Our dinner started off on a high energy note with the lion dancers from the Hong De Cultural Athletic Association who at the end of their dance, showered us with lucky cabbage. The lion dance is a form of traditional dance in Chinese and other Asian countries and is believed to bring good luck and fortune. The performance is usually done with a green vegetable like cabbage or lettuce because the word for vegetable in Chinese, cài, sounds very similar to the Chinese word for fortune, cái. Plutonic Marble Granite generously sponsored this dance to bring good luck to the first of many fundraising dinners from GGB.
Tara Reber, our MC, did a fabulous job keeping everyone informed of all the activities and entertainment of the evening. Zhengdon Liang, who came in third at the National Competition, gave us three wonderful violin pieces. The ladies at the Vietnamese Student Association graced us with their cultural dance, and 10 year-old Keegan Santos, a Kung Fu Black Belt, impressed us with a demonstration of his forms.
Chrys Vo, the winner of the 50/50 who won over $600, displayed the definition of generosity as she gave the entire amount back to GGB. The lucky winner of the balloon raffle will be enjoying one week’s stay this Spring at the luxurious Florida vacation home that was generously donated by Sandra Butters. Sincere thanks to Thelicia Chen for personally pumping up 100 balloons the night before!
A special thank you to all the volunteers who made the evening a success, from our ushers, dancers, ticket and balloon salespeople, and many more who worked behind the scenes to make
the evening such a smooth flowing and enjoyable event. Mr. Brian Duoc Cao of Cao Photography was kind enough to volunteer his time and talent by taking pictures for us.