The Bazaar charity events continued its series on Saturday, 17 March 2012 at one of the coolest get – together site in Saigon, The Deck restaurant– 38 Nguyen U Di, District 2. The event nearby Saigon river attracted 45 vendors who showcased local and original products. Over 300 participants shied away from the crowded downtown for a festive time of gathering, shopping and eating. As usual, part of the proceeds will be donated to heart operations for Vietnamese children.

Homemade cookies save 30 children

Grace's Cookies table at the Bazaar

Just behind the entrance, right on the left corner, Grace’s Cookies hold people’ eyes by colorful and irresistible home-baked cookies. There were 2 types of cookies featured on the Bazaar, glazed sugar in multi-shapes: heart, tulip, butterfly and chocolate chip. Ms. Margot, the founder of Grace’s Cookies, and her volunteers have been at the event since the very first moment to get their booth ready before 9am. According to Margot, the establishment of Grace’s derived from a call to help a Vietnamese child get heart operation. Noticed that simply calling for donation would lead to less, or even nothing in result, she came up with an idea of selling something that is affordable and convenient to buy time after time. Later, in a Singapore trip, Margot encountered a shop selling cookies, which reminded a fantastic item for her charity cause. Grace’s Cookies was born since then, offers the goodness of fine ingredients (butter, chocolate, milk, etc) that absolutely melt in your mouth and bring you a warmth of being cared and care people. All the profit earns from these cookies is to bring the gift of life for dozens of Vietnamese children, who are desperately in need of heart surgeries. Up to know, there are 30 Heartbeat Vietnam children were brought to normal life thanks to these homemade cookie. And the number of children saved by Grace’s Cookies does not seem to stop.

Peter Arts and the Bazaar for a cause

A man has come to Vietnam to start business 14 years ago. On 15 March 2012 his company awarded as the most active firm in Vietnam for more than three years, announced by the Belgium -Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam. His name is Peter Arts, Founder and Director of Saigon River Factory Vietnam, an enterprise that offers authentic and original furniture collections.

Peter and Saigon River Factory shop at the Bazaar.

Founded in 2004, the company produces decoration materials and floor and wall tiles. 2011 was a milestone for their business when the company’s turnover rockets to 25% and the number of employee rise to 50%, counts 200 workers. Not only works hard, Peter also enjoys life in Vietnam in a very personal way. He usually travels to Long An or Dong Nai at weekend for a mountain bike retreat. Starts at 7am, Peter and his friends go through mountainous areas in these provinces and fulfill his cycling in the early afternoon. Shares with Heartbeat Vietnam what are his biggest turn-ons in Vietnam, Peter reveals: “That’s the surprise everyday brings and the energy drives in every people.”

Peter in his cycling trip in Vietnam

Peter is also known as one of the most active and dedicated advocate for Heartbeat Vietnam. Together with Ingrid Ploemand Ina Stats, Peter is one of the Bazaar’s organizers. Up to now, profit from the Bazaar has helped 15 Vietnamese children access to heart surgeries. In this April, Peter will have a cycling from Bangkok to Saigon to raise fund for Heartbeat Vietnam. He aims to save at least one kid through this one-week challenge.

Interview with Meemee Ploem, the girl who starts cupcake sales for charity

Meemee Ploem and Cupsultd at the Deck Bazaar. In the previous event, Meemee and Cindy raised 4,000,000 VND for Heartbeat Vietnam.

At the Bazaar, we caught up with Meemee, the daughter of Ingrid Ploem, one of the Bazaar’s organizers. She’s just 17 and has started cupcake business with her friend, Cindy. All proceeds go to charity purposes, and Heartbeat Vietnam is one of the benificiaries. We had a short interview with her.

Heartbeat Vietnam: Hi Meemee, how did you come up with the idea to raise fund by selling cupcakes? And when did you start?

Meemee Ploem: We started baking for a school project ‘Sprinkle with Love’ for Valentines Day, in 2011. It was designed so that the students could customize cupcakes and cookies to be delivered for people they like – it was specially for our school and our proceeds went to school charities.

We made approximately $300, that went to 6 different orphanages in Kontum.

It was quite successful so we did it again this year but this year we donated our proceeds to Heartbeat.

Heartbeat Vietnam: How many times have you conducted the fund raising?

Meemee Ploem: We have done several fund raising projects – mainly for school but also for bazaars. Our first bazaar we donated all our proceeds to Heartbeat as well.

Heartbeat Vietnam: What is your dream, Meemee?

Meemee Ploem: I would like to go to Netherlands, my hometown to study history. I like to study History a lot. I think I’ll be able to go into any direction if I’ve studied history, it makes a good foundation. As I’m able to study about past events – to help our ‘future’?

Heartbeat Vietnam: What do you love to do, Cindy?

Cindy: I will be studying either Psychology or Art/or together – I am also passionate about psychology. I hope to obtain a double honors in both subjects then to proceed either into the creative art sector, or teach at a Steiner school.