Local service clubs help kids, seniors in Vietnam

Members of the Marysville Soroptimist and Sunrise Rotary clubs helped support a Vietnamese center for vulnerable children and seniors this February.

Late in the month members brought grant funds to pay for supplies to help the Quang Nam Social Sponsor Center, which supports children with disabilities and seniors that do not have anyone to care for them.

"I got a $500 grant from the Sunrise Rotary Club and $200 from the Soroptimist Club," said Sherry Cannal, a member of both the Marysville Soroptimist and Rotary clubs.

"We brought them food and supplies," said Cannal. "If they had children we would buy pertinent supplies."

Those donations included 800 pounds of rice, vitamins, seven cases of noodles, balm for aches and pains, fruit and toilet paper.

"We spent a lot of the money, and with the exchange rate your money goes quite a long way," said Cannal.

The group still had money left over and were able to give each senior about $5.

"Five dollars doesn't seem like a lot to us, but we went out and could afford a seven-course meal at a high-end restaurant with $5," said Cannal.

The Marysville group stopped by the center for a day to visit with the residents there.

"We stopped at that orphanage and spent half a day with the young and old there," said Mark James, a member of the Marysville Rotary.

"They were extremely happy just to get the visit, just to see all those happy faces, that was really worth it," he said.

Soroptimist member Renae James agreed it was good to see the smiling faces.

"It was good to give them some extra things they don't normally get," she said.

Cannal, who is Vietnamese, said she enjoyed going to a country where she could speak Vietnamese to others.

She also enjoyed interacting with the people at the center.

"It was really rewarding interacting with all the kids and babies," she said. "It was good we could see all the needs and help with what I had."

Cannal said we take a lot for granted here in the U.S.

She said she talked to a 16-year-old girl in Vietnam. "She said she was working to save money to put her brother through school. It was like that everywhere I went," said Cannal.

Renae James appreciated the two local groups coming together to provide service as one.

"I really thought it was a great example of a couple of service clubs getting together," she said.

"I'd like to see more of that in the future. I think we could make a bigger impact on whatever we choose to do," she said.