[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 148 (Tuesday, December 5, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2128]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                       A TRIBUTE TO KIM CHI TRIEU

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ZOE LOFGREN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 5, 2000

  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the achievements of Kim 
Chi Trieu, Program Manager for the Social Services Agency of Santa 
Clara County. Ms. Trieu is retiring after 16 years of dedicated service 
to the people of Santa Clara County.
  Kim Chi Trieu arrived in the United States in 1983 as a Vietnamese 
refugee with two of her young children and $5 in her pocket. Within two 
weeks, she had found work at Catholic Charities as a job developer. In 
1984, Ms. Trieu began her work with the Social Services Agency as a 
worker with the Targeted Assistance Unit. She helped to establish and 
put into operation the Central Intake Unit, which was the gateway for 
newly arrived refugees.
  Kim Chi Trieu was promoted to Supervisor of the Refugee Unit in 1985. 
Her tireless work on behalf of the refugee community earned her the 
admiration and gratitude of Santa Clara County's many refugee 
populations: Vietnamese, Hmong, Mien, Cambodian and later, Ethiopian, 
Somali, Polish, Russian, Bosnian, Serbian, Iranian, and Afghan. In a 
short time, Ms. Trieu was asked to assume responsibility for the Santa 
Clara County Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN) Planning Unit.
  With her belief in community partnership, Kim Chi Trieu invited 
participation from impacted communities in the ever-changing Refugee 
Services Delivery System. Universally respected as a tactful mediator, 
she was skilled at working cooperatively with other social service 
programs and government agencies to ensure all her clients received the 
benefits to which they were entitled.
  In 1996, Kim Chi Trieu expanded her role to assist in the development 
of the county's Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF) program, which 
has been cited by the Urban Institute as one of the top 10 performing 
programs in the Nation.
  Kim Chi Trieu has been a role model and a leader in her community and 
in county government. She has been the anchor to freedom for her 
family, working two jobs to help resettle two dozen family members 
including her parents. She has not only lived the American dream 
herself--she has provided countless refugee families with the 
opportunity to achieve that dream.
  I wish to thank Kim Chi Trieu for her compassionate and dedicated 
service to the County and wish her the best in her future endeavors. 
Her integrity, compassion, and strength will be sorely missed, but our 
lives are the richer for having known her.

                          ____________________