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Refugee From Laos Now Raises Money to Fight Hunger

Thongwan Leuam Champassak
Thongwan Leuam Champassak
Photo: CWS
December 12, 2006

Thongwan Leuam Champassak, from Laos, resettled in Holland, Michigan, in 1979 with help from cosponsor Harderwyk Ministries Christian Reformed Church and PARA Refugee Services. A faithful participant in the annual CWS Holland/Zeeland CROP Hunger Walk, she has raised on average about $2,000 a year during the past six years.

"No one ever says 'No,'" she said about those she asks to sponsor her in the Walk. "I'm so thankful for all who sponsor me. It's the thing I can do best to help the hungry."

A bilingual assistant with the West Ottawa schools, Champassak has personally experienced hunger. "When we came here we came with nothing. That's the way we had to live. As long as I'm healthy, I'll keep walking," she said.

Source: Fall 2004 CWS Service magazine and Steve DeYoung, Holland/Zeeland Area Hunger Coalition. Learn more about CROP Hunger Walks.

Return to main story: Founded by Refugees, Christian Reformed Church Keeps Reaching Out

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