VIETNAMESE FLOAT FUNDED BY WOMAN WHO SOLD HER HOUSE MAKES ITS WAY DOWN COLORADO BOULEVARD IN...

VIETNAMESE FLOAT FUNDED BY WOMAN WHO SOLD HER HOUSE MAKES ITS WAY DOWN COLORADO BOULEVARD IN 113TH ROSE PARADE IN PASADENA CALIFORNIA. The Vietnamese Cultural House float, themed "Thank You America and the World" makes its way down Colorado Boulevard during the 113th Rose Bowl Parade, themed "Good Times" in Pasadena, California, January 1, 2002. The float was funded by Madalenna Lai, who sold her home to help raise $100,000 to pay for the entry. Lai fled Vietnam in 1975, arriving in the United States penniless and wanted to let the world know how grateful she is. The design of the float is dominated by a mystical bird that rises from the bow of a boat representative of the fishing launches that carried many Vietnamese away from their war-torn nation. REUTERS/Jim Ruymen