Jaehyuck is already pursuing his acting career and he is so grateful for your support to believe in his dreams!
One request to fund a $300 moving company fee in February turned into raising $1,826 for Jaehyuck, a young adult who aged out of a KKOOM-supported children’s home. Jaehyuck is a former KKOOM College Scholar who completed his Associate’s Degree in Security Management. Earlier this year, he moved to Seoul so he could have more access to better opportunities to pursue his dream of acting full-time.
When Jaehyuck graduated from high school, he was asked to move out of the children’s home within two weeks of his high school graduation. This is the same rule for any young adult who ages out of the social welfare system in South Korea. They are given a government stipend of approximately $4,000 to $5,000 to navigate adulthood on their own. So miscellaneous costs like a moving fee of $300 could be financially burdensome for young adults like Jaehyuck. Thankfully, that’s where you step in, the KKOOM community, to support the children and young adults we serve, whatever way possible.
Photo of TaeHyeon at the KKOOM Dream Big Gala, where he shared his personal story of faith and his experiences growing up in the social welfare system in South Korea.
Another request came in later this year in October. One request to fund a $250 TOEFL exam fee turned into raising $1,218 for TaeHyeon, a young adult, who grew up at the same children’s home as Jaehyuck. TaeHyeon’s dream is to pursue graduate studies in the United States to improve his English and get a Master’s degree so he can continue pursuing his dreams of becoming a financial analyst.
You helped Jaehyuck have a smoother transition while moving to Seoul. You helped TaeHyeon feel more confident to apply and start his graduate school applications. We hear it all the time from donors and the KKOOM greater community – “We love supporting KKOOM because we can tangibly see where the money is going.” Thank you for funding these very special requests of a moving fee and TOEFL test exam fee this year, above and beyond. Because of you, the KKOOM community, TaeHyeon and Jaehyuck know they are dearly loved and that people on the other side of the world are rooting for them.
We believe in the power of impacting one – one person, one request, one young adult. As long as KKOOM continues to focus on “the impact of one,” we hope to continue changing lives for many generations to come.
GRACE LEE
Grace resides in Georgia and first volunteered with KKOOM in 2015 when she was a Fulbright English Teacher in Sejong. After volunteering at the Samsungwon Christmas party, she became a Board member in 2016, the Chief Administrator in 2017, and the organization’s first Executive Director in 2020. While at Georgia State University, she obtained a Public Policy degree, with a concentration in Nonprofit Leadership. As the Executive Director, she oversees all social media marketing, manages donor relations, email communications, and supervises our KKOOM interns and executive assistant. You can read more about Grace here.
