WISH LIST $100: translate 2 pages of valuable information from English to Vietnamese; $500: offset the costs of 1 health fair; $1000: fund 1 field trip for 25 seniors to promote an active and engaged lifestyle

Maryland Vietnamese Mutual Association was founded in 1982 to help resettle immigrants and refugees. Securing housing, finding jobs, preparing for US citizenship tests, hosting US naturalization ceremonies, and arranging community events, are at the core of the mission. But life for these new citizens is challenging. Many live in over-crowded, single-parent, multi-generational households, where parents work long hours and grandparents serve as babysitters; most speak limited or no English; some are even illiterate in Vietnamese. And of course language problems impede access to critically needed resources. So MVMA provides the link. Offering programs that foster involvement in their children’s educational and social development, it helps parents navigate the school system and find effective, healthy ways to raise their children. Seniors need the link, too: 90% speak little or no English and lack information about health care, illness prevention, and social services. Broader opportunities for recreation and community involvement are necessary, too, if these valued community elders are to have rewarding lives. MVMA reaches out to all of them. You can reach out, too.

Diane Vy Nguyen-Vu, Executive Director 8121 Georgia Avenue, Suite 503 Silver Spring, MD 20910 301-588-6862 www.mdvietmutual.org