Thank you to the Hugh C. & Thomas Lord Fund!
KKOOM is so excited to share we received a $20,000 donation this spring through GlobalGiving, who recommended KKOOM to a family foundation. This generous donation from the Hugh C. & Thomas Lord Fund will be used to fund several of our educational projects and programs — one of which is an exciting project we are planning for the summer! Our long-standing programs, such as the educational scholarships will also benefit from this donation. We are grateful to impact move lives through our preschool scholarships so Korean children can dream bigger!
The children we support in South Korea will return back to school on April 6th, a delay to their original start date in March due to the coronavirus outbreak. They have been on mandatory quarantine for the past five weeks, not being able to leave the children’s homes to help control the spread of the virus. Due to the recent events, our generous friends through Facebook and our website have funded snack parties, along with chicken and pizza parties for the three children’s homes we mainly support.
Your generosity helps us fund two toddlers to attend school during the spring semester. In our last report, we shared how Minnie, Jay, and Gabby have been thriving inside and outside of the classroom. Minnie and Jay are now being funded by the Korean government to attend preschool.
Hannah when she was 100-days-old in March 2019
Our current preschool scholars, Gabby and Hannah, live at Emmanuel Children’s Home. Both girls arrived at Emmanuel in 2019. Hannah arrived in March 2019 as a 100-day-old baby being a victim of abuse. Gabby arrived in May 2019 and we shared in our last preschool blog post how her favorite song is the “Three Bears Song,” which is called “Gom Se Ma Ri” in Korean.
When I visited South Korea in December 2019 to help plan the inaugural Christmas Talent Show at Emmanuel, I had a chance to hear Gabby sing the “Three Bears Song” live as the youngest participant at the talent show. She captured the attention of every audience member and judge as she confidently sang the song with the assistance of one of the staff members.
Gabby singing “Three Bears Song” at KKOOM’s Inaugural Christmas Talent Show
Your giving has made a profound impact on Gabby, providing her the opportunity to attend preschool in the fall semester. When she first arrived, she was a shy, little girl who barely spoke and had a hard time allowing people to hug her. Now, she is not afraid to sing in front of a crowd of her family, siblings, house mothers, and KKOOM volunteers. Thank you for giving Gabby a safe environment to learn, grow, and get outside her comfort zone.
KKOOM is grateful that you believe in our mission to support these two young toddlers to thrive in a positive atmosphere. When the children are able to start the new semester, we are excited to see Gabby and Hannah foster creativity and develop positive connections with their classmates and teachers.
We hope you and your loved ones are staying healthy and safe.
With gratitude,
Grace Lee, Chief Administrator
