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Regular Session, 2014 ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 124
BY SENATOR MORRELL
A RESOLUTION
To commend Cyndi Nguyen upon receipt of a fellowship presented by the W. K. Kellogg
Foundation Community Leadership Network for her exemplary efforts to broaden
educational opportunities and after-school programs in New Orleans East.
WHEREAS, Cyndi Nguyen is a community activist of the highest order; she works
as an agent for positive change to promote access to educational and economic possibilities
for the residents of her community, in particular, the enrichment of the lives of children; and
WHEREAS, she has amassed scarce funding and manpower to bring much needed
services to all the people who call New Orleans East their home, a rich gumbo of ethnicities
that benefit from her determination and commitment; and
WHEREAS, her activism is deeply rooted in her own personal experience and life's
journey; Cyndi arrived in New Orleans in 1975, as a five year old Vietnamese National and
refugee seeking political asylum in the United States after the Vietnam Conflict; and
WHEREAS, Cyndi's first-person experiences with language barriers and a lack of
knowledge of available social services remain at the heart of her advocacy to provide aid to
those persons of similar circumstance who view the United States as a gateway to a brighter
future for themselves and their families; and
WHEREAS, Cyndi Nguyen is founder and executive director of VIET, Vietnamese
Initiatives in Economic Training, a nonprofit organization that functions as a neighborhood
resource annex for a myriad of services that include a learning and cultural center, a disaster
aid headquarters, and a venue for after-school programs and summer camp for area children;
and
WHEREAS, the VIET center has evolved during its fourteen year existence into a
multi-service complex that provides programs, such as family resources assistance, parent-
to-school assistance, senior activities, financial literacy and small business planning,
translation and interpreting services, language classes, and provides assistance for those who
seek citizenship, health care, and social services; and SR NO. 124 ENROLLED
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WHEREAS, the VIET center is presently housed in the former St. Brigid Catholic
Church, a casualty of Hurricane Katrina that could not reopen after the storm; the
Archdiocese of New Orleans extended a thirty-year lease of the building to the organization;
and
WHEREAS, with unrelenting determination Cyndi marshaled neighborhood
manpower to transform the dilapidated structure into a community asset with herculean site
improvements of remodeling, landscaping, pedestrian walkways, and the planting of trees
and gardens that resulted in a brightly colored playground, a volleyball court, and a pristine
outdoor classroom setting; and
WHEREAS, the prestigious W. K. Kellogg Foundation emphasizes the importance
of healthy child development and the reduction of social inequities that inhibit the progress
of and future prospects for America's youth; and Cyndi Nguyen is most deserving of this
accolade as an acknowledgment of her inexhaustible service to the community; and
WHEREAS, Cyndi Nguyen instituted the after-school program called "Afterschool
Academy" to ensure that children from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade have a safe
and structured environment; Afterschool Academy focuses on homework assistance,
learning opportunities, such as STEM studies (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math),
community service, robotics, and enrichment activities that include art, cultural learning,
karate, poetry, and gardening; and
WHEREAS, the Summer Adventure Program, a nine week summer camp experience,
provides learning and recreational participation that includes instruction in guitar and piano,
dance, pottery, photography, swimming, fishing, sports, and service days; and
WHEREAS, although her travels took her far away from home to earn a bachelor's
degree in social work from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, and a master's degree in
management from the University of Phoenix, Cyndi returned to New Orleans in 1998; and
WHEREAS, through VIET, her mission continues to be one of service to the needs
of the Vietnamese community and other minorities and of help to bridge the gap of cultural,
social, and language barriers into the economic mainstream of American society; and
WHEREAS, Cyndi has taken on many leadership roles, such as that of FEMA
community liaison after Hurricane Katrina devastated much of the area, then after the storm SR NO. 124 ENROLLED
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she established the Einstein Charter School in the Michoud area; and
WHEREAS, her altruism and strength of character have not gone unnoticed, Cyndi
has been named a Louisiana Afterschool Ambassador and a Young Leadership Council Role
Model; her nonprofit VIET was featured in Fortune 500 magazine; and she has been the
recipient of many honors that include LSU Women Pathfinder Award, Small Business
Minority Award from the Jefferson Chamber of Commerce, Champion for Kids Award from
the Louisiana Children Trust Fund, the O'Hara Award from the Asian Pacific American
Society, Community Quarterback Award from the New Orleans Saints, WDSU Making A
Difference Award, Making Things Brighter Award from Entergy of New Orleans, and
Louisiana Women in Philanthropy Award from Louisiana Association for Nonprofit
Organizations; and
WHEREAS, her community action has been a collaborative effort with assistance
from corporate sponsors and nonprofit partners that include Entergy of New Orleans, BP,
New Orleans Hornets, Jasmine Rice, HandsOn, City Year, Common Ground Relief, and
Lotus Care; and
WHEREAS, Cyndi has tackled large scale initiatives to promote healthy living and
child-friendly environments such as National Childhood Obesity Awareness, "Lights on
Afterschool" to increase public awareness of the importance of enrichment programs that
are vital to personal growth, and "Boo in Michoud" a safe place for trick or treat
celebrations; and
WHEREAS, Cyndi Nguyen embraces the tenets of optimal child development
expressed by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation which are education, health, and secure family
surroundings, and she strives to bring to fruition civic engagement, community service, and
ethnic equity within the New Orleans East neighborhood.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby congratulate Cyndi Nguyen upon receipt of a W. K. Kellogg Foundation
Community Leadership Network fellowship for her commitment to children and education.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Cyndi Nguyen is hereby commended for her
efforts to improve the emotional, intellectual, physical, and cultural growth of the residents
of the New Orleans East community. SR NO. 124 ENROLLED
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
Cyndi Nguyen, executive director of VIET.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE