Rotary Club – Want to Build a School and Travel to Vietnam?
Subject: Inspiring Talk Opportunity: Build a School Foundation (BaSF) – A Global Impact Story from 2 “Boat People” Vietnamese Refugees
Dear Rotary Club Program Director, We hope this email finds you well! I’m writing on behalf of Build a School Foundation (BaSF), a 501(c)(3) charity that has been actively partnering with Rotary Clubs around the world to create lasting change through education for underprivileged children. BaSF has proudly collaborated with Global Grant Matching and worldwide Rotary Clubs such as Encinitas RC and Del Mar RC in San Diego, Spring Klein RC in Houston, Penrith RC in Sydney, and Chilliwack RC in BC, Canada to fund and build 10 schools across Vietnam, Cambodia, and the Philippines.
As of Dec 2025, BaSF has built 201 schools in 11 countries, impacting thousands of children who would otherwise have no access to education. We, Jimmy Thai and Lily Thai, would be honored to speak at your upcoming meeting or event. With a heartfelt and engaging storytelling style, we share our remarkable journey from refugee struggles to building schools in remote areas across the globe. Our presentations inspire and entertain while reinforcing the Rotary values of “Service Above Self.” We are flexible on dates and happy to tailor the talk to suit your members’ interests. If your club is looking for a passionate, entertaining speaker with a global perspective on service and education, we would love to contribute. Thank you for considering us. We look forward to hearing from you and scheduling a time to bring BaSF’s story to your club. We are ready today, next week, next month, or next year. 😊
Warm regards,
Jimmy Thai Founder/CEO
Build a School Foundation
info@BuildaSchoolFoundation.org
+1 858 769 9090
www.BuildaSchoolFoundation.org

VISION: Be the voice for the voiceless children of the world
HEADLINE:
- NGO 501.C.3 Founder: Fundraised and built 201 schools and educational projects in Vietnam, Philippines, Cambodia, Kenya, India, Laos, Thailand, Cameroon, Tanzania, Uganda, and USA to give 2nd chance of education to underprivileged children, to protect at-risk kids to child sex trafficking, to create construction jobs for forgotten parents, and to empower local leaders of pride community ownership.
- Inspirational Professional Speaker: Humorous Keynote and Executive Panelist at TEDx "How to Build 100 Schools for $1", PMI Global "Innovation: Change or Be Changed", Fortune500 conferences and world-class universities such as UC San Diego, SDSU, CSU Fullerton, San Marcos, USD, Foreign Trade University, University of Economics HCMC, Ton Duc Thang University, etc. Ranked Top-18 of World Championship of Public Speaking in 2010 with “10 Seconds to the American Dream” speech in a 2,000-seat arena.
- Change Expert: Transformed from “broken English” janitor to living the American Dream. Fortune500 Award-winning Executive. National University Professor in Systems Engineering & Management, Compassionate Leadership, and Communication.
- Vietnam Expert: Cultural, Legal, and Military Expert in Vietnam and American business and government via US Embassy Hanoi, VN Ministry of Defense, Vietnam Coast Guard connections at PM and Generals level. Provide leadership, technical, FMS, FMF, ITAR expertise to both countries on operating the decommissioned USCG Morgenthau warship transfer in 2017 (now VCG CSB-8020) and USCG John Midgett (now CSB-8021) in 2020. Guided a team of 100+ government personnel, contractors, foreign crew, and logistics supply chains through COVID-19 crisis to complete a 9-month training, dry-docking, and transfer of Excess Defense Articles (EDA).
- Global Executive: Developed international business relationship with government and business clients in Australia, China, India, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Russia, and Chile. 25 years of accomplishments in scientific, engineering, technology, and business applications.
- Speed-to-Market: Created 9,000% Return on Investment for a R&D prototype with Tsunami Warning Systems. Made Indian Ocean region and the world safer since the devastated 12/26/2004 9.2 earthquake.
- Technical Competence: Accomplished acquisitions in satellite communications ($9.7B); intel surveillance recon and mine counter-measure ($570M); physical security for airports, seaports, and critical infrastructures ($1.1B). BS and MS in electrical engineering and MBA. College Professor at National University for Masters-level programs in Systems Engineering, Project Management, and Contract/Legal for Engineers.