Dear Editor, 
On behalf of Amigos International, Andy Aryanto, and Andy’s host family, I wish to express our deepest appreciation for everyone who donated funds to allow him to attend college in the United States, instead of returning to the Tsunami ravaged country of Indonesia.
On Friday evening we had not accumulated enough funds for Andy, but after brainstorming to find a plan “B”, I received a surprise phone call from Knoxville from an individual who pledged to pay the remainder of Andy’s tuition.  Andy now has the opportunity to continue his education and hopefully someday study to become a U.S. citizen.
We know where many of the donations came from, and while we wish we could thank each one of you publicly in this forum, many donations were submitted anonymously and  I do not wish to exclude anyone for receiving our thanks.
I do wish to thank The Herald for helping us reach all the corners of Sevier county and beyond,  Amigos International volunteers for reacting so quickly, Amy France and Sevier County Bank for making this happen so quickly for us and all the people who have been calling for follow up information on Andy.
Amigos International now has a permanent “Emergency Fund” which will be used in emergency situations experienced by immigrants living in our community.  Even today, we have people contributing to this fund.
This experience has been a friendly reminder and testimony to how the people of Sevier County take care of each other, as well as strangers, building a better community.
 
Jim Rouhan
President
Amigos International of East Tennessee

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