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Volume 13 Number 49 | 50¢
December 4, 2014
Mon-Sat 10-5 • ectrictree.ca • el 778-471-6073
To Vietnam from Kamloops with love From first glance they just look like a normal couple. Ric Troyer and his wife Son No Ngoc Mai, who most people know just as Mai; built, own and can be found daily at the Son Mai Spa here on Lansdowne Street. They do all those normal couple things; they work together, walk their dog Saigon, laugh, play and love. Beyond all the normalcy is something pretty special and to totally understand you need to have a background. Ric himself is a Vietnam vet and met Mai on a trip to Vietnam in 2000. That trip inspired the creation of a registered charity, which is still functional to this day, that provides tricycles to land mine victims in Vietnam along with rice and financial support to poor villages and orphanages in Vietnam and now Cambodia as well. Through this work Mai and Ric fell in love, were married and together have furthered their work in these countries. Over the years Mai has saved money from her wages to build a home for her father and niece who still live in a small village in Vietnam as well as went back to school as a trained beautician. After honing her skills she and Ric proudly opened the Son Mai Spa. Most years the couple takes a break from their normal life and travels back to Vietnam to continue their charitable work. “We have been able to provide over 500 tricycles to double amputee Vietnam vets who otherwise cannot get around,” explains Ric. “Last year we started working in Kampuchea with a children’s safe place for kids with dysfunctional families and were able to supply them with a years worth of rice.” This year is no exception and they are scheduled to fly out of Canada on January 18 armed with a vision and a want to provide some much needed assistance including another year’s worth of rice for Kampuchea as well as a 20,000 litre water cistern which helps collect
clean rainwater for the kids to use all year long. “I want everyone to realize that this is not Ric and Mai who does all this,” continues Ric. “We are just the lucky ones who get to deliver these gifts. It is really about the Kamloops people. In these past 14 years it has had the energy from the people of Kamloops. We’ve gotten gifts as big as airfare from NRI Distribution, which we probably wouldn’t have been able to afford in the reebuy rictcan long run. People call andeask if they lect some rice or buy a tricycle forsan amputee. yarn We’ve never asked for money it comes. e venu Abut d 290 3r containers late Fri for We’ve received Mo shipping en Op • -5 10 n-Sat ee.ca ctr tri amazstorage and much isecjust 1-6073It• el 778-47more. ing the amount of people who want to help and it just amazes me that Mai and I have been lucky enough to have this opportunity to represent the people of Kamloops in this way.” Just sitting down with the couple will warm your heart. They take great pride in providing this aid and will do it for as long as they can manage. This year they will go to Vietnam and Cambodia. They will check in on many of their tricycle recipients and visit the kids at Kampuchea. They are excited about being able toriprovide anctreeand lectcollection other cistern for the e water rns yacan. help out in any way they e Ave “Last year we took29160 kids thenu dentist,” 3rd to Open late Fri • -5 10 at n-S finishes Ric. “TheyMoloved 73 us going ineeand .ca trictr 1-60 • elec 8-47are hated us going out.77We excited about the cistern. The whole system is amazing. It was designed by some Australian architects and collects the rainwater coming from the roof. It allows them to stay away from the groundwater which is so polluted.” If you want more information about Ric and Mai and their humanitarian efforts in Vietnam and Cambodia you can contact Ric Troyer at rictroyer@telus.net. Tanya Orozco, freelance
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