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The Milwaukee Beerfest and a Small Dream in a Far Off Land

By Chuck Theusch

The Milwaukee Beerfest "Blessing of the Bock," John Zutz's brainchild for a humanitarian event that is at once a FUND RAISER and a FUN RAISER has proved to be a great good fortune for the Library of Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia Project, our goal of helping the peoples in the war-torn countryside of Southeast Asia and the people and children of a small village in Southern Laos.

The generosity of Americans is well-known when it is seen in major national outpourings of help for disaster and disease relief such as the 2005 tsunami, hurricane Katrina, and uncounted others throughout our history. But that is far from the whole story. It is personal generosity of time, effort, and money in small amounts by many that is the fountainhead of our work. There is an untold story of millions of these kinds of efforts that are a testament to the better angels of our nature.

Chuck Theusch and Mike Boehm at the 2007 Milwaukee Beerfest

This is a report on our efforts told to those who make it possible, as a song of thanks, and to others who may find some inspiration in the work it takes to put on an event, the people that do it, the money that comes from it and the hopes and dreams it funds in a small village on the other side of the world.

We build libraries, of course. But we do more than that. We inspire hope where it is needed, a sense that someone cares among people who need to know they are not alone on life's journey. We have larger "District" libraries that cost $35,000, a standard design. Then we do projects with customized size and design ranging from $5,000-$15,000. These are called "Small Dreams"---the Milwaukee Beerfest with Vietnam Veterans Against the War has built a small dream. To be sure small dreams are as important as big ones…especially if its your dream of a better life in the heart of a jungle in war-ravaged land.

The Milwaukee Beerfest has funded a small library and school expansion in Kean Village Savannaket Province, Lao People's Democratic Republic, southern Laos. This area was one of several staging sites for operations to interdict Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army supply traffic along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The "Secret War in Laos" has received relatively little notice, but it raged with a fury fully as vicious and deadly as anywhere in Southeast Asia.

The Village has about 300 families, with about 150 children attending the elementary school. There's no electricity yet, but this does not in any way dampen the fervor of the local officials in their attempts to provide an education and a brighter future for their children.

In Laos we are blessed to have Madame Kongdeuane Nettavong, last surviving member of the royal family of the Middle Kingdom of Laos (Xieng Khouang province/Plain of Jars) and the Director of the National Library of Laos as our In-Country Representative. We call her the "Mother Theresa of Education" in Laos. She has one sister married to the former Regional Director of the Central Intelligenca Agency (Yes, CIA) for Southeast Asia from 1965 to 1972 living in the US. She has a second sister living in Paris. She could be living either place. But she's chosen to dedicate her life to building the future of Laos through libraries and education. She travels the long dusty roads and trails of the jungles, forests and mountains of Laos planting the seeds of knowledge with us.

You live in a village with no electricity in southern Laos. Your children still must be wary of unexploded bombs and landmines when taking a playful jaunt in the woods to hunt frogs. Someone in America sends you money to have the first library in the 400 year history of your village. Your diet is rice and fish. You wish to thank them with a gift. So what do you do?

You give them some of what you have---RICE! On September 8, 2006, I went to the village on our standard continuing support visit to donate money and more books. We were moved beyond words to find that the children had EACH brought a small bag of rice as a thank you gift for the donors. It was placed in a larger bag and I brought some back to pass on to the people of the Milwaukee Beerfest and the Vietnam Veterans Against the War.

This heartfelt deep thank you from the children and families of Kean village goes to everyone who buys a ticket, everyone who works the tables, every single exhibitor, the musicians, the bidders at the auctions, to all. Please know that this event, and everyone associated with it, has indeed changed one small corner of the world. Also, we ALWAYS go back and will continue the relationship this event has made possible. We will continue to bring you the news of your accomplishment through support of the Library Project.

Chuck Theusch and his wife present the Laotian rice to Mike Goetsch, Bob Gronko and Bill Homans at the 2007 Milwaukee Beerfest

Some of the IVAW & VVAW Milwaukee Beer Fest 2007 crew