COMMUNITY. To mark its 30th anniversary, Solidarité Ethnique Régionale de la Yamaska (SERY) received great visitors during its dinner-conference presented last night at the Zoo de Granby. An adopted Granbyan upon her arrival in the country from Vietnam, the prolific writer Kim Thúy was honored by her presence as she came to tell her story and that of her family who left everything for a better life in Quebec.
Fleeing a homeland that is bogged down for a land where it is good to live in complete safety. That’s the choice KimThúy’s parents made when they decided to leave Vietnam, which was sorely hit by a war with China in 1978.
From her departure from Vietnam until her landing on Granby soil, the guest of the evening retraced the highlights of this long crossing when she was only 10 years old, through a series of anecdotes to the delight of the hundred or so guests present at this commemorative evening chaired by Joanne Ouellette.
Recall that Ms. Ouellette, who has worked with immigrants since the very beginning of SERY, notably held the position of general manager of the organization until her retirement in 2019.
Throughout the evening, guests were also invited to show their generosity as part of fundraising for the benefit of the humanitarian effort currently deployed in Ukraine, in collaboration with the Red Cross. Thanks to the generosity of the public, just over $1,700 was raised.
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