The Sherwood Rotary Peace Day Event

- Guest Speaker, Kilong Ung -

Kilong Ung is a State Farm agent, a small business owner, the author of “Golden Leaf: A Khmer Rouge Genocide Survivor”, the founder of the Golden Leaf Education Foundation, and a past president of Cambodian-American Community of Oregon, a member of the Rotary Club of Portland, and a Royal Rosarian.

His life is an inspirational story about the survival experience of a Cambodian genocide survivor, a teenager who was forced into slavery between 1975 and 1979. The genocide claimed the lives of his 
grandmother, parents, youngest sister, over fifty relatives, and two million Cambodians. 

After his escape into Thailand in 1979, he came to the United States as a refugee, learned English, graduated from Cleveland High School, graduated from Reed College with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, and graduated from Bowling Green State University with a master’s degree in applied statistics. Roosevelt High School honored him as one of the Freedom Fighters. His alma mater Cleveland Cleveland High School named him one of the Distinguished Alumni among the short list that includes Nike Founder Phil Knight and Mel Blanc (the voice of Bugs Bunny).

The publication of his memoir enabled him to speak at MIT, Columbia, Rotary clubs, etc. He was in an episode of the Deadliest Warrior reality TV show. He was selected as 2010 Wordstock Author. The story about his forgiveness is in the documentary Risking Light.

He has a wife and two children. His daughter is a high school senior at Milwaukie Academy of the Arts, and his son is a sophomore at University of Portland.

His ultimate dream is to build schools for children around the world. As of today, his
foundation has built three basketball courts and begun building its fifth school in Cambodia.

- Celebration of International Peace Day Schedule -

10:00 AM: Peace Walk with Peace Quilts to 8 Peace Poles & placement of "Pebbles for Peace" meet at Sherwood Center for the Arts, 22689 SW Pine St.

11:15 AM: Visit Sherwood Library display of Peace Messages, Girl Scout Nature Mandela, "Pinot for Peace" at 503 Uncorked, Unity Project outdoor installation at Sherwood Center for the Arts, "Pints for Peace" at Clancy's

1-2:00 PM: Presentation by keynote speaker Kilong Ung, Cambodian genocide survivor and Oregon resident at the Sherwood Center for the Arts

4:00 PM: "Pizza for Peace" happy hour at Our Table, 13390 SW Morgan Rd.

**ALL events open to the community