KKOOM

ORIGINALLY RELEASED 2011-02-11

CONTACT: Leanne Stein, Secretary
Korean Kids and Orphanage Outreach Mission (KKOOM)
Phone: (269) 340-0430
Email: info@kkoom.org
URL: http://www.kkoom.org

FLEDGLING NON-PROFIT SET FOR EXPANSION

Portage, Michigan, February 1, 2011 – Tough economic realities have stunted development for many non-profits across the country, but Korean Kids and Orphanage Outreach Mission (KKOOM), a 501(c)(3) organization based in southwest Michigan, is facing the opposite challenge: capacity-stretching growth. That is why effective immediately, Aimee Jachym will become KKOOM’s first Chief Administrator and will assume the day-to-day responsibilities of sustaining this young non-profit, which works to improve the lives of orphans in South Korea. In this new role, Jachym will facilitate KKOOM’s ongoing volunteer projects and programs at Korean orphanages and support its expanding administrative operations. Previously, KKOOM was run by its all-volunteer board of directors.

“KKOOM is a unique non-profit—the only one of its kind working directly with orphans and orphanages in South Korea through an informal network of trusted volunteers,” stated Leanne Stein of Sunland, California, KKOOM’s Secretary. “KKOOM started as a grassroots endeavor in 2004,” Stein continued. “At that point, it wasn’t even ‘KKOOM;’ it was just [Jachym] and her friends collecting and buying goods for kids at orphanages in South Korea. Eventually it got too big and that’s when KKOOM was born in 2007. We’re excited about this next phase of KKOOM’s development and the long-term positive impact we’ll be able to have on the lives of Korean orphans.”

The Chief Administrator position was made possible through the generosity of an anonymous American donor, who has secured funding for KKOOM’s operational expenses for a period of two years. During this time, Jachym will be responsible for developing a “virtual office” to oversee the administrative operations of the organization. Jachym is also tasked with strategically growing KKOOM’s presence, both in the U.S. and in South Korea, while fostering the programs and values that have been the foundation of KKOOM since its inception.

“Chief among KKOOM’s values is our commitment to our donors and stakeholders,” noted Erika Senneseth of Cayce, South Carolina, a founding board member. “Namely,” Senneseth explained, “we will continue to use at least 95% of our individual donors’ ordinary contributions on direct projects and programs, and we will use this two-year opportunity to find new long-term sources of revenue to grow a back-end administrative office. We know that our typical donor gives in the range of $20 to $100 annually, and we want to continue to be responsible stewards of these funds. We want everyday, regular individuals to be able to reach out and help children on the other side of the world in a real and meaningful way, and in order to do so, we’ll find other creative ways to keep the lights on and administrative costs low.”

Jachym was born in Daegu, South Korea and was adopted to the United States as an infant. She received bachelor’s degrees (BA, BBA) from Western Michigan University and returned to Korea for the first time to teach English on a Fulbright grant in 2004. She received a law degree (JD) from Wayne State University in 2009 and formerly worked at Miller Canfield as a corporate attorney. Jachym, who has been President of KKOOM since 2007, supported the creation of the new Chief Administrator position but was not part of the selection and compensation committee’s hiring decision.

“While I’m immensely grateful to the KKOOM board, volunteers, and supporters,” Jachym said, “what fuels my passion for this work is the kids we serve. They’re all like brothers and sisters to me, and I’m hopeful that we’ll be able to make their futures a little brighter.”

For more information about KKOOM, please visit www.kkoom.org.

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About KKOOM – Korean Kids and Orphanage Outreach Mission (KKOOM) supports orphanages throughout South Korea with the mission of improving the lives and livelihoods of Korean orphans through outreach, enrichment, and education. The acronym “KKOOM” (pronounced “koom”) also means “dream” in Korean. KKOOM was founded in September 2007 by former Fulbright grant recipients as an extension of an ongoing volunteer project at Samsungwon, an orphanage in Gumi, South Korea that began in 2004 and continues today. KKOOM now provides volunteer resources and aid to six orphanages throughout South Korea and operates U.S.-based educational initiatives that engage young Americans with the firsthand work being done overseas.