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In
the fall of 1997, a group of Boston
College students gathered informally
with older and more experienced Khmers, mostly Lowell residents who were orphans from the Khmer Rouge era
and had great successes in the field of community service and improvements
in the living conditions of Khmer communities in both Cambodia
and the United States.
To name a few, there were Tooch Van, a scholar
from Cambodia; Arn Chorn-Pond,
a recipient of the Reebok Human Rights Award and co-founder of CANDO
and CVCD (Cambodian Volunteers for Community Development); Seng
Ty, now the Director of KCI (Khmer Cultural
Institute); Vong Ros,
a member of Lowell Small Businesses Association; Chath
pierSath, a PhD candidate in Sociology and member of KCI,
CMAA and CVCD; finally but not the least, Bunrith
Sath, a songwriter and an excellent Khmer poet.
The
gathering was to explore and to better understand pertinent issues and
challenges facing Khmer women and young girls in today's society. The
three hours plus discussion revealed that the lack of role model, encouragement,
education, support, and involvement among Khmer youths (both girls and
boys) have led to the downfalls and inability to rise above the stereotypes
of being minority or Khmer. Inspired by the five Buddhist principles
of Love, Compassion, Justice, Forgiveness, and Peace, a desire and plan
to create an organization that would provide a network of communication
and collaboration among Khmer youths in the United States
was borned. The end of March or early April
1998, this group met with other Cambodian Americans to assist Botumroath
LeBun, a Yale scholar, finishing up her study
about Khmer Americans and Khmer youths in Cambodia. This time other Khmer American
college students in the New England areas, including Mob Chhouk, Thoeun Chan Huy, Mike Khim, Sara Khun, Tilou Kim, Meng Kit, Thnam Net, Chariya Preap, Soden Tek, Sodeth
Tek, and Sophy Theam, joined by the others listed above to share their personal
experience. There and then, an interest among the attendees to aid handicapped
children and youths in general emerged. The participants continuously discussed of ideas
of coming up with a plan to express their passion. At last, in June
1998 a rendez-vouz at Roger Williams Park
in Rhode Island led to the
formation of a non-profit and non-governmental organization- Light of
Cambodian Children (LCC).
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