For 20 years, the "Full Moon" has shone brightly.

In Can Tho City, there is a club dedicated to building culturally exemplary families that has been active for the past 20 years, never missing a meeting. Some members have been involved for years, while others are young families who have recently joined. The club is like a large, multi-generational family, sharing stories and discussing ways to create harmonious and prosperous families, contributing to a "happy family and a prosperous nation."

This regular meeting also celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Sustainable Family Development Club in Area 7, Binh Thuy Ward.

This is the Sustainable Family Development Club of Area 7, Binh Thuy Ward, Can Tho City. When it was first established 20 years ago, the club was called "Full Moon" because its regular meetings were held on the full moon night of each month. Later, it changed its name to the Cultural Family Club and its current name, with its meeting day changed to the evening of the 16th of the lunar month. Regardless of the name or the meeting day, the spirit of "Full Moon" shines brightly in this club. It embodies the pioneering spirit of building a cultured lifestyle, with the family as the foundation, the catalyst of community spirit, and the ideal of love for the homeland and country.

On the evening of June 16th (lunar calendar), we had the opportunity to attend the club's regular meeting, which also celebrated its 20th anniversary. Many people arrived early. Mr. Nguyen Xuan Linh, who has served as the club's chairman for the past 20 years, was at the gate to welcome everyone. Witnessing the meeting led by Mr. Linh, we felt his enthusiasm remained as strong as ever. Mr. Linh began by informing the attendees about the local situation. He spoke about the policy of merging provinces and cities and establishing a two-tiered local government. His presentation was concise, easy to understand, and full of energy, instilling confidence and hope in the listeners. Afterward, he and the members discussed the current state of building culturally exemplary families, and listened to the thoughts and aspirations of the members…

For the past 20 years, two excellent activities at this club have been consistently maintained: a revolving fund with no interest and a quiz with prizes. Mr. Nguyen Xuan Linh recounted in detail that in the first month 20 years ago, each person contributed 50,000 VND, which gradually increased to 2 million VND today. Each month is divided into 2-4 rounds. Initially, the lowest monthly recipient was about 1 million VND, the highest was 2.4 million VND; now, the highest is up to 26 million VND and the lowest is 6 million VND. To date, this model has completed 15 rounds, with over 700 people receiving money, totaling nearly 5.2 billion VND. This is an impressive figure for a Cultural Family Club in the area. This money is used by the members to supplement their business capital, purchase household goods, and pay for their children's education. Although the money is selected by lottery, those with urgent needs are given priority.

Another interesting activity is that each session, Chairman Nguyen Xuan Linh poses a riddle in the form of a few lines of poetry, and everyone participates to answer and receive a prize. After the session, anyone with the correct answer calls the Chairman directly to report it. The prize is a box of milk, small but bringing great joy, and everyone has been excited about this activity for the past 20 years. Mr. Linh said the club has given away 483 boxes of milk to those who guessed correctly, totaling nearly 8.5 million VND. Among them, Mr. Tiet Ngoc Trong guessed correctly the most times with 54 sessions, followed by Mr. Thuan with 37 sessions, Mr. Duy with 35 sessions, and Ms. Thu with 32 sessions…

Mr. Tran Anh Duy, a member of the club, shared: "Bringing the riddles home, the whole family thinks about how to solve them, it's a lot of fun and meaningful." Mr. Nguyen Xuan Linh concluded: "These two activities, though secondary, are an invisible thread that binds the members together, ensuring full attendance and encouraging each other to participate."

Looking back over 20 years, it can be said that the Sustainable Family Development Club of Region 7 deserves to be considered a model of cultural development not only in Can Tho City but also nationwide. It exemplifies innovative, engaging, and effective approaches; persuasive methods that attract members to participate consistently; and effective dissemination of knowledge in building cultural life at the grassroots level.

At the club's 20th anniversary celebration, attendees included Ms. Tran Ngoc Nga, former Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Can Tho City, who has been involved with the club since its early days and has accompanied it in various ways throughout the past 20 years; as well as current and former officials in charge of building grassroots cultural life at the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Can Tho City; representatives from Binh Thuy ward… All gathered to reflect on the 20-year journey of the "Full Moon" club, silently shining, establishing and maintaining a genuine and exemplary cultural model in the current new context. Many excellent ideas were put forward, such as expanding activities to include inter-club, inter-regional, and even inter-ward levels; replicating the model of the Cultural Family Club… and finding ways for the club to “go the distance” even further. This is also a way to “keep the flame alive” for the club.

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On the occasion of the club's 20th anniversary, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Linh emotionally recited a poem he composed on the occasion of the club's launch 20 years ago. The heartfelt verses also represent the motto that the club has upheld throughout its journey and will continue to uphold for the long road ahead:

"Together in mind and heart, with one heart and mind."

"The spirit of community and neighborly solidarity is wholeheartedly dedicated to building a better future."

Text and photos: DANG HUYNH

Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/20-nam-trang-ram-sang-mai-a188529.html