NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT
It was not the Grimmses first trip to Vietnam. In
fact, it was Fred’s 20th in 20 years, and the daycare
center, named for his Harbour Ridge community,
was the 53rd building he has helped donate to communities
84
in Vietnam. Jill has accompanied him on 16
of those trips. Both are board members of the Development
of Vietnam Endeavors (D.O.V.E.) Fund. Fred
is also vice president of the Vietnam Project, which
is devoted to aiding the country’s needy and building
schools.
LOANS, LATRINES, LANTERNS
The organization also provides microloans to
female entrepreneurs, hand-pedaled tricycle-carts
for the disabled, solar lanterns, sanitary latrines, enhancements
to vocational opportunities for mentally
challenged individuals and educational scholarships.
With every return trip, they meet young
adults who attended D.O.V.E. schools, gained vocational
training with microloans, or were touched
by the efforts of the couple, whose retirement is
dedicated to soothing the country’s battle scars.
“In 2000, I was at a Toledo Rotary Club meeting
where a Vietnam veteran spoke,” Fred remembers.
“He had built a school in Vietnam and was asking
for $20,000 to build another. Afterward I approached
him and told him I was interested.”
Things clearly snowballed from there, and he was
soon heading up a core group of about 12 veterans
and Rotarians to construct schools and aid residents
with basic necessities. >>
D.O.V.E.
Fred Grimm has worked tirelessly for the children who will be educated at the new
Harbour Ridge Daycare Center in Quang Tri, Vietnam.
/www.nelsonfamilyfarms.com
/www.nelsonfamilyfarms.com
