TODAY'S PROGRAM: MONY NOP
Today we were moved by Mony Nop's sharing of his journey from Cambodia to Livermore.
When he was only a week old, bombs began dropping in Cambodia, and Mony and his mother were flown to a safer area in the country while his father remained in Battambang. Mony lived his first 6 years in a shack with no running water and barely any food. He shared a traumatic memory of being bitten by another little boy who stole the food right out of Mony's bowl.
After his father was able to escape the Khmer Rouge regime, Mony and his family walked to Thailand where they found shelter in a United Nations refugee camp. They may have escaped Cambodia, but life was still uncertain and dangerous, as robbers marauded the camps each night, armed with hand grenades. Mony noted that his father changed Mony's birth year to 1976, setting up the possibility of being young enough to enroll in school if they ever reached the United States.
Their next stop, several years later, was the Phillipines. Mony remembers going to school in the morning and spending the rest of the day with his father standing in the stream shooting for fish and eel with handmade wooden/rubber band guns.
In 1983, at the age of 11, Mony and his family were granted permission to travel to the United States, where they would live in Tempe, Arizona, home of their sponsor, a friend of Mony's grandfather. He learned how to ride a bike and, with his sister, started dumpster diving for aluminum cans to earn money.
After a year in Arizona, Mony and his family moved to Stockton, CA. He joined the ranks of migrant worker, while also managing to attend school. Mony excelled, moving up through grade levels to reach the right class for his actual age. He was accepted to Sacramento State University, but did not attend due to lack of funding and lack of information. He would later, while living in Livermore, attend and graduate #2 in his class from St. Mary's College.
After a 17-year career as a Livermore Police Officer, Mony became a realtor. He also became more involved in the community, starting two nonprofit organizations; the TVNPA just celebrated its 10th year! Mony also shared that he will be forever grateful to the Cavalieri family for taking him in when he first came to Livermore.
Mony continues to learn, as he has graduated from the National Speakers Association Speakers Academy. He is proud of his two sons and grateful for the love of his wife Sophie.
Mony continues to give back to the community in Livermore and in Cambodia, where he and Sophie recently traveled to support education through volunteering. Mony credits education with changing his life.
Sherri gave a shout out to our fellow Rotarians who have gone above and beyond this week to represent our club in the community:
