On behalf of all the citizens of An Shang village and Fufeng County, let me say that we are honored to meet and welcome Global Volunteers Team 100.

We are happy and lucky to be able to have Project Peace here in this community.This new school will not only serve the future needs of the children of An Shang, but will become an educational resource to the people of Fufeng County and the Baoji Region of western Shaanxi Province.It is a wonderful gift.Please allow me to express our sincere appreciation and great gratitude to you, Mr. Philbrook, to my good friend Mr. Jim, and to all of the Global Volunteers who have so generously donated their money and their hard work to make this a reality.

But you have given us more than just a new school building.Ever since 2002, Global Volunteers has become a household word among all the villagers in Fufeng country.In the past two years, as teams of volunteers and teachers have made their journey to An Shang, we have begun to build a bridge of understanding between our two peoples.It is a rare opportunity for our villagers here to learn more about the United States and the American culture directly from the Americans themselves.

By your example of selfless service to others, you have served a good example to the local people of what could be accomplished thru local effort and volunteerism.As you have seen, the An Shang villagers have not only contributed their time and effort to serve as hosts for your volunteers and the visiting teachers of the region, but they have also assisted in the construction of the school building and grounds, and have donated their time and money to build a new paved road through the village.

It is also our hope that Project Peace has become a window through which the outside world to learn about not only An Shang and Fufeng County, but western Shaanxi Province, and the changing life of the rural people of China.Fufeng County is today developing rapidly with the introduction of many new agricultural products and the expansion of the Famen Temple facilities.We welcome you to our county today and hope you will return to visit us again in the future

Finally, let me say that it is our sincere hope that after the completion of Project Peace Global Volunteer teams will continue to come to An Shang and Fufeng county and help with the future education of our students and teachers.We stand ready to assist you in whatever way we can to make the future of this program achieve the vision it promises today.

Thank you.