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Xe came to the United States
on November 17, 1988 with her husband and 9 living children. Three
children were lost to chickenpox and general ill health during the
family's migration from Thailand to Laos (they were 3 years, 9 months
and a new born). They were, in Xe's words, unable to withstand the
journey from a place of suffering to a place that offered hope.
Xe first learned of the Community Garden from a local Hmong Radio
broadcast. That was 3 years ago, and the opportunity to continue the
tradition of growing food for her family was welcomed by the whole
family. In Xe's world, everyone gardens whether they initiated the
planting or not. One daughter recounts the very early morning phone
calls from their mother to "go to the garden, there is work to be done."
Xe's planting, growing and garden maintenance reflect the strong Hmong
tradition of hard work and pride. High value is placed on good food and
one's own ability to impact the health and well being of his or her
family.
This year, Xe and her family took entrepreneurial steps that would
impact not only their family, but the community as a whole: she became
the first gardener from the Community Garden Partnership to sell her
produce at the Appleton Downtown Inc. farm market in Appleton, and the
first individual gardener to partner with Bridges Healthy Cooking
School, a health-based community program dedicated to good nutrition.
These are important milestones, but Xe takes them in stride. "I like
everything about gardening, from planting, to growing and finally to
cooking what I grow."
Congratulations, Xe! Thanks for bringing The Goodwill Promise to life.
To
learn more about the Community Garden Partnership click here.
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