Dave Hubert, President, VCFS
Our History
The Vietnamese Canadian Friendship Society has been active in programming in the Edmonton Vietnamese community since 1991 and has delivered a number of programs since it started up. These programs mostly address gaps in services provided to this community.
Among these are:
- Delivery of English as a Second Language classes. This is the longest standing program of the Society and it continues to attract clients who want to learn English. An adjunct to this program was a class in effective communication offered by the chairperson of a Toastmasters Club.
- After school tutoring for children who need to augment their classroom education and who need a supervised place to study after the school day is over and until their parents get home after the end of the working day.
- Organized and implemented a gambling awareness and reduction program in the Vietnamese community in Edmonton, with support from the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission (AADAC).
- Cultural events including sponsoring two cultural extravaganzas called “An Evening in Saigon.”
- The Board Chair and Vice-Chair organized the Avenue of Nations Business Revitalization Zone (BRZ) along 107th Avenue, 97th Street and 101st Street, including Little Italy on 95th Street. The Avenue of Nations BRZ, a para-municipality of 450 multi-cultural businesses, was involved with urban renewal and cultural development within the Vietnamese community of Edmonton, including helping organize Lunar New Year activities for a number of years. Thanh Nguyen, a founding board member of the Society and the first Executive Director of the Avenue of Nations BRZ in fact initiated the Lunar New Year firecracker parade with lion and dragon dances in Edmonton since 1993. Formally the Avenue of Nations (AON) was organized by another organization, but informally it was the officers of the VCFS that put the structure and infrastructure of the Avenue of Nations in place. Presently, the 97th Street Business Association is the continuation of the AON’s operation.
- VCFS has implemented the Tobacco Reduction Program since December 2003.