Northwest Folklife

Meet Van Pham, one of Northwest Folklife’s stellar volunteers. Van grew up in Missoula, Montana, where his family had relocated after escaping from Laos in 1975. After high school, Van attended the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma. At UPS, Van studied music and communications, played saxophone in the wind ensemble, jazz band, and sang tenor in the school’s a capella group, Underground Jazz.

Van’s passion for music and the arts makes him a natural fit with Northwest Folklife. His energy and enthusiasm go a long way both for staff and for other volunteers. In his free time, Van is an avid soccer fan (a Sounders season ticket holder) who also attends  musicals, plays and concerts. He plays saxophone in a couple of concert bands in the area and sings with the Offbeats Jazz Choir. Van likes to cook, eat, play soccer, and make music, He is always seeking out the next opportunity to do something great.

Van provided office support throughout the month of May and was my go-to guy during all four days of the Festival. He was willing to do anything in support of a great production and made himself available all weekend long. I sent Van all over the place: from greeting to info booths, from roving button distribution to set up/tear down, from merchandise to compost education, etc. You name it—Van was there ready to help.

Folks like Van make it happen. Share your ideas with me at the email address below. Together, we can accomplish great things.


Keep Volunteering,

Holly