The Mennonite Historical Society of BC hosts its annual fundraising dinner on Saturday, Oct. 3.
The event starts at 6 p.m. at Emmanuel Mennonite Church, 3471 Clearbrook Rd.
Dr. Stephanie Phetsamay Stobbe, a former Laotian refugee, will speak on “From Refugee to Citizen: The Resettlement of Indochinese Refugees in Canada.” Stobbe teaches at the Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg, where she heads the Peace and Conflict Studies program.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the fall of Saigon to North Vietnamese forces. Canadians were extremely generous in accepting and sponsoring tens of thousands of “boat people” fleeing death and destruction in Southeast Asia.
Mennonites, many of them remembering their own refugee heritage, were actively involved in helping out.
Stobbe will focus on the role of Mennonite Central Committee in helping resettle Southeast Asian refugees. She will also look at the current flood of “boat people” arriving on the shores of Europe.
Tickets for the dinne3r are $25 and can be purchased at the MHSBC office at 2825 Clearbrook Rd. (604-853-6177) or online at mhsbc.com.