The tenth annual Boat People SOS Moon Festival is planned for Saturday, Sept. 20 to celebrate the vibrant Vietnamese community in South Jersey. The event, which has for four years been entirely led by local high school students, is taking place at Saigon Plaza, 5201 Rt. 38 West, Pennsauken, from 4 to 8 p.m.

While the festival highlights Vietnamese culture, everyone is invited to attend with free entrance.

“Over the past three years I’ve learned that those from the younger generation can build something big. It is an amazing experience as it brings together the Vietnamese community, and in fact, the whole community, to celebrate Asian culture. Also, without these young people and sponsors, we wouldn’t be able to host Moon Festival,” says Kristie Le, a BPSOS youth planner.

Boat People SOS Delaware Valley is a branch of the largest national Vietnamese American non-profit in the United States. This local chapter provides civic and health services for the Vietnamese community in South Jersey and Philadelphia. The organization aides immigrants in the citizenship process, offers English classes for those who struggle with the language, and helps citizens with issues of healthcare. Along with its services for elders, BPSOS also reaches out to youth in the community through the building of leadership skills, the teaching of social justice workshops, and the introduction of community organizing and volunteer work as tools for social change.

For more information on the organization and the work it does, visit Facebook.com/BPSOS.DelVal.