 Dear friends Camarads like Sandy likes to to call me once in a while comrade Camarads My name is Eric Agnero I'm originally from Côte d'Ivoire, I recalls We supply 40% of the cacao in the world yet kids are now facing I mean travels like when you use roundups Roundup is now ditched over there because here our regulations Don't want them anymore, but over there is still flexible. Côte d'Ivoire cacao So every time you bike on a chocolate bar, remember those kids Steve Tom and I went to a Côte d'Ivoire and then we went to a plantation It was a nice experience to see where your cocoa comes from and How you can affect the people's lives over there Well Eric, so now I live in Vermont. I used to be a reporter for VOA When I was Slying around maybe I worked also for the private sector CNN, but since Three or four years ago. I found a nice place where I can call home Which is Vermont I decided to come here and I feel alright and there's a lady Who welcomed me here? Hope as she held my hands and then showed me around Do you know Peter? Peter Claver Call him sometimes So could be brother of yours How about a good kind Huh? Have you talked about this to Tom? She has a an idea every minute Hard to follow But it's fun Because she brings so much to our community and then Sandy also brought me back to a house which belongs to To the new Americans but also beyond the new Americans to all People decent franchised people around I see Clients of ours from different walks of life Women that are facing, you know trouble at home kids that are you know You know getting used to a play with a gun and then boom a tragedy You know Peter told me once Eric I've seen now. I'm seeing you know those kids those kids, you know at battery park Most of them, you know in the peripheries of our society. What's wrong? And then Sandy says It's because we need to empower more the families the women that you know This is the solution This year we couldn't You know do a big festival with you know because it's not only about festival it's also about Thanksgiving and Recognizing those who are doing it in our communities and Alv where Sandy brought me back is doing so much So much I see kids who normally would be after school Wandering around town Seeing they I think they went skiing So thank you so much for being here Now I would like Sandy to Come and tell us why she wants us this Sunday afternoons To be here together Sandy there Hi, and thank you all for coming out on a Spring day and a sunny spring day, which is of course very unusual Many of you know what my name is Sandy Baird and I founded many years ago and my daughter was murdered in a situation of domestic violence by her So-called boyfriend, I guess and that was in 1998 at that time my family Grant Kirchfield and Our daughter Rosie and our grandson Nathan formed alone. Nathan wasn't born at that time a Fund or a foundation called the Caroline fund and that was a fund that was to help women in Crisis situations to pay for instance an electricity bill I just got a call today from a woman who had a disconnect notice as Many of you have had I've had them to disconnect notices come when you haven't paid your electric bill And usually it can be for a very small amount So the Caroline fund recognizing that families were often in trouble financially for very small amounts of money We founded that and Caroline was often in that kind of a difficulty We founded the Caroline fund to help those women in crisis with small amounts of money And that was the original purpose and we did that and we still do that today We also though try to empower at this point projects Which and help those projects develop which help women in their families and by that I mean we don't just help women We also help men who have the Grace and the sense to honor their women and to empower and to Empower their own families so we help women and their families that that includes women and their male children and daughters of course, but also their husbands and their partners and all Women have those kind of men in their lives So we welcome that over the years We then have helped develop projects was which assists women and their families and we help other Projects who are also in existence to help women and their families I have been at AALV for a number of years and I do a lot of legal work here What I've noticed over the years is the help that this organization of AALV Gives to women and their families. We see and they and AALV sees women from all over the world I cannot tell you the stories that come through my office I think Nathan who's back there and who's a new young lawyer as I am and I'm always calling on him for help I can't tell you as but Nathan can all the stories of The situation for women throughout the world these people come to AALV for help And they come to me for legal help a lot These are women who live in our community I cannot even stress how important it is to recognize something that goes on in this community We have mothers in this community mothers of large families and thank heavens because as we all know Vermont's on a Demographic decline. It's a very aging state. We need children the women I see have the grace to give us big families They don't have to you know anymore women don't have to do that However, these women that I see are the mothers of large families who will be the future of the state of Vermont But they have been completely. I think neglected by our community by our state and by our country These are women I see every day who lack Education many of them come from even poorer parts of the planet many of them come from Africa Nepal Burundi from even the eastern block of countries Russia Vietnam those women come here under really dire circumstances. They are often Often the victims of war which we tend to forget. They are from countries that are at war They get out of those countries because they've been in refugee camps a lot of them and then they come often married to the United States Kind of a sign here and they come with husbands sometimes and they come with husbands who very often like American men Unfortunately, they come with men who very quickly often too often abuse them Act violently toward these mothers. They abandon them They're unable to get real child support because those husbands leave the state or Have other families to support I've and these women also are Largely uneducated some of them most of them do not speak English and most of them Some of them are illiterate in any language This is tough and the only institution I think in this town in this state Who recognize who they are? What they are giving to this community and What they are giving to the state of Vermont is this association called the Association of Africans living in Vermont They alone seem to get it What's happening in our community is these mothers have been totally neglected Most of the people I see mothers I see and fathers are black and brown people. So if we're going to recognize Truly if we are going to be a non racist non sexist society We have to recognize the reality in this community That the black women brown women and poor white women have been totally neglected Totally neglected without resources without education and without skills Because they haven't been taught that many skills and they are bringing up our future and it's Really tough. It is really a tough job to do that on your own the organization that recognizes that more than any other That I've seen really in the United States, and I've seen a lot Is a a LV the Association of Africans living in Vermont and their Directors Jacob Boughrey back there and tattoo. I've seen it and I was giving and for that We the Caroline fund are giving Tato a Certificate of service and to honor her work in this community Jacob Boughrey a man from Burkina Faso Tato is from Botswana And the Caroline fund is proud to give them these certificates of ward of their incredible I can't even tell you how incredible the work that's done here is and I'm so privileged and Honored to be here with them to do in my way to help them Help them help them up. I don't like to say help the mothers of this community. They support them They understand what's going on and I can't be happier enough in my old age To be here helping them out in this incredible role Anyway, so that's why we are giving them this award these was and the association Tato Jacob and Aalb but thank you all for being here and we're gonna have And I want to tell you he is also developing the second project The Caroline fund is devoting itself at this point to two projects that help all people and Families one is to try to make our law firm here Or economically viable in the first place because I've always done legal work, but I don't really charge the same rates as other people So However, that's one project. I would like to have an economically viable law firm and also a project an educational project called Vermont Institute of Civic and Community Involvement or Vicky, which was the original name of a very Special place for me, which is Burlington College Anyway, those are the two and Eric is the project director of Vicky in particular. Thank you Sandy I'm very honored so as Part of the Caroline fund through Vicky to now Give those certificates But I would like you to When they come Okay, I want to introduce one other person that's become part of this organization and that is this young man Will you stand up? His name is Tim Galloway and he is a young person And he I hope will be taking over because he's so youthful Some of the roles that I've had in this community some of the roles that we've all acted on Okay, and the other person that I want to say assisted in this gathering. It's Robin Lloyd who is back there who is Who is the chair or I don't know what's your role and will the women's international League of Peace and Freedom? Thank you Sandy so I Think Robin will give the title certificate and then you will give that of Jacob And then Peter will give that of a LV and We like that to very much so she will Take the one from a LV and say a word So if I'm very good Okay Yeah, stand here and Then give that to Jacob You know what people call him in this office is Papa Jacob He is the quintessential father that we all wish we had and most of us Maybe did or didn't I'll leave it that way. This is Jacob Papa Jacob tell me what oh Oh Ladies and gentlemen welcome Robin Lloyd who's From a will sponsor of this event, but also a very very good partner of the Caroline fund, please Welcome Robin Lloyd About Robin because I'm so impressed with her We have many kind of disagreements as I do with most people in the world But we always part comrades Robin's fan the reason that I think Robin deserve deserves a special recognition Her family is the Lloyd family who was involved in World War one correct and They see you can tell your own story But one of the things that Robin's family has always recognized is the connection between Women's struggles in the world and peace as I understand She's one of the most anti-war activists that I know of on earth her family was involved I think in 1913 correct and having women go to the Hague in Holland With and met with women from Germany to try to make peace in World War one They recognize that women have common sense and that war is really not good for the planet under any circumstances So I've always linked in my mind Robin's struggles for women's rights with all of our struggle to be to bring wars to an end But anyway, that's Robin Robin, would you mind give the award to Tato She said Tato ne parle pas français comment Tato you have to say what? Oh, yeah Please Please stay Tato. What last now? You know the first time I you know Peter and I met I was trying to be the mayor of The city that my uncle is like So why would you want that job? Especially now Peter. Oh It's a big place here Good to demand the remit of Tato these certificates of recognition for The world of old job On behalf of the community I'd like to thank you For all that you have done to make Burlington and the region and the state a welcoming place for those who are escaping poverty violence war A of B has been such a lifeline to thousands of people. Thank you Well, good afternoon everyone I almost always and I've been designated to speak and I do not like public speaking But I in fact, I feel very honored. Thank you, Cindy the carol and fun grand. Thank you Thank you everyone who's come here to to support this I Look around and I see some of our team Jacob and I talk a lot about how we would not be able to support The community the way we are able to without the incredible Stuff that we have We all come from walks of life. In fact, most of our staff came from refugee camps We do this work every day listen to family stories women's harrowing stories of their experiences of war Children who are getting traumatized and our team getting re-traumatized We don't have the normal eight or nine to five Our work we work throughout the day throughout the night when necessary So I greatly appreciate the opportunity to actually recognize our stuff who Work day and night to make sure that there's some stability that the clients that we serve I Have an understanding of what the mail that comes through their doors mean That when children are struggling their children are struggling in schools They're the first people to make a phone call or be present in school to advocate mothers who Trying their best to work in this community as well as continue to be really the backbone of their Families mothers who are now are starting to tell us more of their stories stories of joy stories of Getting married while some at a much younger age that the culture that they had but then being disrupted in the middle of wanting to make livelihoods going through Bushes being followed by You know people who are trying to come after them or their spouse Mothers who had to carry the baby says they were sitting refugee camps Who still made sure that the family's eight in the middle of the war? Haring stories of mothers who their spouses just last week I have been working with this lady my colleague and I for almost six years now for the first time after six years first time She said to me Do you know that I had six children who were all killed in one day And when I tried to speak my husband was killed and he said I pretended that I was dead And she said to me I wish I was dead Such stories are painful to hear but these are the stories that also show the human resiliency These are the stories that also Motivate some of us who come here to want to do this every day. We couldn't do this work Really without everybody's support. We couldn't do this work without send his support Cindy I I don't know how you do this every day. This woman is here before almost all of us every day and Sometimes she will leave very late Sometimes I'm in court with her. I come back. I'm exhausted and she goes like who's coming next I'm waiting for fire Where does she get this energy? But it just shows how passionate and The kind of heart you have for for for the community regardless of color regardless of you know sexual orientation regardless of Where people come from this is what? Actually motivates us to keep going we feel very very fortunate to be able to serve the community It's vocation for us The community we wouldn't be who we are really without the community We are grateful that we we are in the great state of Vermont We are grateful that we get to participate and hopefully most people who are citizens will go register to vote Because we need everybody to vote I just have to say that we have a woman mayor in Wellington I don't know what that means I try not to get in politics But you know these are the changes that we get to be part of and I very grateful to to be in Somewhat a safe space where we can be ourselves so we can talk about our traumas and talk about Solutions in the end so on behalf of the incredible team at a alv. We are very grateful and thank you so much for recognizing all it That's all right, baby. I just want to tell you all a story about how Tata works It was a Friday night. It was about 11 o'clock on one Friday night That she called me because one of our most precious clients Was locked up in our police station. This is a rather horrifying tale about our police station, too I hate to I hate to say it in a way because I support our police chief and in general our police department It was about the 11 o'clock at night and she called me and she said one of our young women who has having enormous enormous problems adjusting to the United States she was a woman from South Sudan a Woman who had been more or less brought to the United States by An American citizen also from South Sudan married terribly terribly abused by her husband Abandoned in South Sudan by her husband who took her kids all her documents and came back to the United States Leaving her there with some miracle a miracle. I can't tell you how many miracles this woman Tato and Jacob Conduct on a regular basis, although they're not saints yet, right anyway, so yet So she this woman however had been locked up in the police station apparently she'd gotten into a fight We're the neighbor an easy enough thing to do as as we all know Americans do it all the time This woman however was locked up in the police station and it was 11 30 So Tato asked if I could help and so I called the police station something that was normal Five ten years ago. You could always call the police station and get an answer. Couldn't you? Couldn't you can't anymore by the way? You can't anymore, but anyway, so I didn't get an answer And I was really worried and so I went down to the police station to see if I could at least Tell this poor woman that she doesn't have to talk to the police She has a constitutional right to remain silent. I didn't know what they were going to do I was told by Tato that they were going to interrogate the woman So I went down and met her this is 11 o'clock on a Friday night when a woman like her should be out on the date Right and having a good time Anyway, so I went to the police station and you could not get into the police station None of the doors were open. No dispatcher. Nobody would answer the phone I wandered around in battery park kind of scared as a matter of fact and finally I sat in my car Tato was there and the police saw a cop finally came out of the police station And I said look at my clients in there. I need to go talk to that woman. Do you know what he said? Lawyers are not allowed Can you imagine this? Anyway, but Tato was right there with me and she persisted we went into the police station But still couldn't talk anybody Right and we finally had to leave we never did get in contact with that woman that night Anyway, so that but that's the story of how she works every weekend This is what this woman does and Jacob and as far as I can tell every night every Saturday and every Sunday It is an amazing role that they are playing in this community I can't tell you how honored I am to be working with them Especially because I'm rather elderly and so I feel enormously privileged to be here. Hey doing Helping to do the work of this association last. I want to say happy st. Patrick's day Happy st. Patrick's and good for the Irish. They are the most rebellious people except it except for the scots of all the people Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much, Sandy. Yes now Sandy, you know in French we see now I mean the petit plat dans les grands. There's good food very very good food Socialize to network and then to say again. Thank you to tattoo. Thank you to Joseph to Jacob Thank you to a lv for the wonderful job the wonderful work they're doing Merci beaucoup I've never done simple Tato who keeps it I'm a lawyer that I'm trying to control This is Jessica who does marvelous Yeah Thank you so much for Thank you so much for coming and Supporting a lv work. I think we would not be able to do what we are doing without this community support You know every day we come in thinking that we will be quitting the next day But at the end of the day you leave Knowing that you've learned something because when people come and share the story you see how resilient they are When a mother was being resettled year for more than 10 years is able to bring his two kids were lost in war in Ethiopia and bringing them to LB and said this is my family. This is where we should come if I die You remember that we as human being Cannot be Helpful to each other if we have not had a chance to meet God and also meet fellow Community members who know that humanity deserve better than nothing else than be a supporting each other And that's why we are always grateful and hopeful that we will be able to continue and our folks will continue to support our work And I support the team here at the LB. Thank you so much