By Staff
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Son Michael Pham (Photo from Rotary Club of the University District, Seattle’s Facebook page)
Son Michael Pham, founder of Kids Without Borders, died peacefully in the evening of Nov. 21, 2024 at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
According to his gofundme, Pham experienced a near-drowning incident while on a humanitarian trip in Da Nang, Vietnam on Oct. 23. Though he was rescued, he was under constant care in the ICU, in a coma before he was transported back to Seattle.
Pham was a refugee, immigrating to the United States from Vietnam on April 29, 1975, the last day of the Vietnam War. In the United States, his first job in Chicago was as a refugee resettlement coordinator. Pham and his wife, Judy, moved to the Seattle area in 1988, where they started two businesses.
Pham founded his organization, Kids Without Borders, in 2001. Kids Without Borders is a nonprofit that was launched as a school service project for students to sort clothes and donated items for children in the community. Since its launch, the organization has expanded to support and work with children in more than 30 countries, attracting volunteers worldwide, providing opportunities for youth, benefiting and changing thousands of lives around the world.
“There was so much more of being a community after 9/11,” Pham told the Northwest Asian Weekly in 2011, when he was honored as one of the Northwest Asian Weekly Foundation’s Pioneers in the API community. “When we started doing it, I was able to get a hold of some children’s products. I thought, ‘How about we turn these products into opportunities for volunteers and service?’ The very first donation was five pallets of baby pajamas. I could easily hand the products to different organizations in the area serving low-income families, but I didn’t want to do that. It’s about getting kids involved in service in their communities and around the world.”
“It is my hope that the current generation will start taking over,” Pham added. “[I hope they] take the program to the next level, where we can spread our work nationally and achieve greater scales of volunteerism.”
Grassroots Projects wrote on their Facebook page, “Son was more than a mentor to our organization—he was a beacon of humility, compassion, and unwavering dedication to serving others. A Vietnam native who narrowly escaped during Saigon’s collapse, he devoted his life to humanitarian work, leading countless efforts to support orphans, schools, and disabled children in his homeland. His Seattle-based charity, “Kids Without Borders,” has impacted thousands of lives across the globe. Son’s guidance and generosity shaped Grassroot Projects in countless ways. His wisdom will forever inspire our mission, and his legacy will live on in the hearts of everyone he touched.”
The GivingHope Project wrote on its Facebook page, “We lost a magnificent man this week. Son Michael Pham dedicated his life to helping others. He was one of the most generous, giving and compassionate humans. He taught us how to be better, do more, give more. Before we became The Giving Hope Project we were honored to work under the umbrella of Son’s organization, Kids Without Borders. Son was always willing to take the time to mentor and teach. So many youth leaders were inspired and learned from him. In Son’s honor this week, we are asking you to spread some hope. Adopt a family, buy someone a warm meal, donate to your favorite charity. Do something to make someone smile.”
Pham will be remembered at a Catholic mass on Jan. 31 at 1 p.m., held at Mary Queen of Peace Catholic Church. A reception will follow mass in the social hall.
Charitable donations may be made in memory of Son Michael Pham to Kids Without Borders.
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