What’s New
KYCC Senior Manager Graduates from Magnolia Place Fellowship
Congratulations to Ernie Yoshikawa, KYCC Senior Manager of Children and Family Services, who completed the Magnolia Community Initiative Fellowship, an eight-month learning and networking collaborative in February.
The Magnolia Community Initiative is a partnership of more than 70 county, city and community agencies that aims to create a safe and supportive environment for 35,000 children who live in Magnolia Place’s 500-block radius in Los Angeles.
Through this experience, Yoshikawa was able to engage in cross-sector learning experiences with leaders from other community agencies to enhance the outcomes for the children and families in this area.
“I really appreciate the opportunity to participate in the MCI Fellowship, because it pushed me to dedicate time to reflect upon what I do, how I do it, and why I do it,” Yoshikawa said. “It’s rare to take pause and focus on developing ourselves to better serve our families in the long run.”
Yoshikawa is the second KYCC manager to complete the MCI Fellowship. Assistant Director of Children and Family Services Nayon Kang graduated from the 2015 program.
NEW Payment Requisition Guide
Alright we’re just going to be honest. It’s a slow news month. Normally we’d file this under the Take Note section at the very bottom, but it’s up here to fill some space. Also, it’s important, mostly to Dustin, who hopes people will stop bothering him with PaperSave questions.
Check it out. It’s super exciting. It will also be available for future reference here.
KYCC Restaurant Map
Our K-Town restaurant map has got some great suggestions. Yelp’s got nothing on this! If you haven’t yet seen it, check it out. If you haven’t yet submitted your suggestion, submit it here.
Have you ever had to answer the question, “What’s good around here?” Well, now we’ll have our own map of KYCC-approved restaurants in our neighborhood. This is a just-for-fun project to consolidate staff recommendations into one easily accessible map.
New Hires
Luke Park
Prevention Education – Community Organizer
Luke Park is our new Prevention Education community organizer. Prior to coming to KYCC in February, Luke was an intern for Los Angeles County Office of Education in Downey, California. Luke was born in South Korea and came to the U.S. when he was 10 years old. Luke enjoys hunting for delicious food and also likes to workout. Luke is on a constant search for outdoor activities (wink wink). Three things that Luke is allergic to: cucumber, mackerel and cats. Overall, Luke is excited to work and learn in the Koreatown community.
Rumee Chung
Clinical Services – Clinician
Rumee started as a new clinician in January. Before working at KYCC, she served as a clinician at YNOT Foundation for three years. Rumee loves exploring different ethnic foods, especially Peruvian, Himalayan and Ethiopian. Rumee’s favorite Peruvian restaurant is Mario’s Peruvian & Seafood on Vine and Melrose. Additionally, she is affectionately known to her Latina friends as Rumee Rodriguez because of her love for Mexican food.
Nicole Park
Youth Services – Assistant Academic Instructor
Nicole Park was raised in Koreatown, Los Angeles—she’s lived here since she was three years old. She began as the Assistant Academic Instructor with ETP at Wilton in January. She loves working with children and aspires to become a developmental/pediatric psychologist. She may be shy and quiet at first, but once her inner quirkiness is unleashed, there’s no turning back.
Erik Lopez
Environmental Services – Graffiti Removal Specialist
The young flame Erik Lopez was born and raised in Koreatown. In February, Erik began his job as a Graffiti Removal Specialist. He loves his City of Los Angeles and wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. Erik enjoys playing basketball, going to the gym (even after work), drawing, and watching Anime. Erik also loves to eat, I mean, like a lot. He is what we call an “omnivore,” so be cautious when approaching.
Lidia Sebastian
Community Economic Development Services – VITA Site Assistant
Lidia Sebastian was working for Evergreen Smart Energy, a small business that retrofits toilets for apartment buildings to help conserve water in California. She is now working as a VITA Site Assistant at KYCC and is happy that she can help her community. In her free time, Lidia enjoys spending time with her daughter, reading books and watching movies. She loves to take walks on the beach, run and go hiking. Lidia is very shy.
Employee Spotlight
Doris Valenzuela
Economic Development Specialist
Tell me about yourself.
I was born in Guatemala and migrated to the U.S. when I was 13. After twenty years of living in Los Angeles, I still feel insecure when speaking in public at English-only events. As I grow older, I have started to also feel a bit insecure about my ability to speak perfect Spanish since I no longer have opportunities to practice the language. Yes, my identity is complex and language is just the beginning. I am very proud of my heritage and I made a commitment to improving the lives of people with similar experiences.
In my spare time, I volunteer for Angel City Pitbulls, a dog rescue group in Los Angeles. I am the proud adoptive parent to two pitbulls and we like to hike, visit the beach and run in the rain. I am a passionate advocate of green car technology and my goal is for everyone to run with the power of the sun. My other hobbies include following professional sports such as basketball, football, and mixed-martial arts—knowing that more than one strategy may lead to victory is a precious lesson.
What do you love the most about your job?
My favorite part of my job is when a single-earner family walks away with a refund. I love it because for a split second I know that no matter how “small” the refund is, the family will stretch it and it will go a long way. I feel that I am contributing in some way to bettering their economy and if I can do that, then my job is done.
I also love the freedom that I have in regards to shaping the program to what I believe our clients need. I love to be part of a team that welcomes my ideas, challenges my points and pushes me to improve upon those while keeping my core values.
What inspires you to do the work you do?
KYCC clients are my biggest inspiration. In my mind, they are the best at budgeting. I admire so much how they survive with so little money and still strive to give their children the very best. Our clients make a lot of sacrifices and their resilience and commitment are things I think of when I feel down. If my own budget is tight and I feel a little stress, I think of how these families make it and reflect on my own privileges.
What do you tell other people about KYCC?
As a Latina, I often begin by clarifying that despite our name, KYCC clients and staff are very diverse. I’ve had the privilege of working for different units—YS and CED—and that has granted me the knowledge and insight as to how different our work is and how it all comes full circle.
What stands out the most about KYCC?
I think the diversity in our programs. By that, I don’t only mean racial and ethnic diversity, but the variety of programs we offer.
What are some (personal or professional) short and long-term goals?
A professional short-term goal is to get my Enroll Agent certification. I want to be able to serve our tax clients with more confidence and offer much more than just preparing their taxes. South L.A. clients in particular face a lot of fraud and I would love to continue serving them with more tax knowledge to prevent and help them get out of any tax problems.
A personal goal is to read 24 books in English this year. I know it sound very nerdy, but I love to read and since English is my second language, I want to challenge myself to read books that are not in my native language.
Please share a quote or words of wisdom
It was hard for me to pick a single quote, but I think this one pretty much summarizes where I stand now. Bill Watterson is one of my favorite cartoonists.
“To invent your own life’s meaning is not easy, but it’s still allowed, and I think you’ll be happier for the trouble.” ― Bill Watterson
Volunteer Spotlight
Dean Darnell
VITA Tax Preparer
Please tell me about yourself.
Well, first off, I am married to a beautiful woman named Naomi, and we have been blessed with three wonderful young adult children—Brittany, Ryan and Sydney. I am a CPA who recently retired from The Boeing Company after 32 years of service. I recently took a part-time job in Custodial working at Disney California Adventure. I tell people that I went from analyzing million-dollar accounting transactions to now trying to decide how many rolls of toilet paper I need to take with me when I clean the guest restrooms, LOL. I also fill my days volunteering with the KYCC VITA team, serving breakfast at the Union Rescue Mission on Fridays, serving in the ER at Torrance Memorial Community Hospital on Wednesday evenings, and I am a rotational Sunday School teacher at South Bay Community Church in Torrance.
What was your first memory of KYCC?
My first memory of KYCC was a person that used to work for KYCC—Sylvia Kim. I had just signed up to work a VITA site in South Central L.A., I believe it was on 90th and Broadway. The last person I expected to meet was a fiery young Korean woman who spoke fluent Spanish and did not back down to anyone. Her passion and desire to help others confirmed to me that I had found the place where I wanted to serve, so I looked at other VITA sites to serve with her.
What do you wish other people knew about KYCC?
We live in a dark world. I wish people knew about the people who work at KYCC and their compassion and dedication to help and lift up the burdens of those who live in their communities.
What do you think makes KYCC/KYCC staff special?
I believe what makes KYCC staff special is the passion to help others that consistently comes across everyone whom I meet who works at KYCC. The staff uses their talent and energies to serve and help others versus chasing empty dollars in the corporate world.
How did you get involved in the VITA program?
A few years ago, I was making plans about what I wanted to do when I retired. I took an income tax class at a large retail tax preparing company and they wanted to hire me. During the class, I came across the VITA site on the Internet and I was drawn to the fact that I could prepare tax returns for low-income families and help them get refunds free-of-charge (especially since I had the impression that this large retail company preyed on these type of families to maximize their tax preparation fees).
Why is VITA important to you?
It is an opportunity to use my God-given talent to help and bless others. I also get to meet a lot of great people.
Why should other people volunteer with KYCC?
Volunteering at KYCC is an opportunity to learn (they prepare and train you to do taxes), build relationship skills, make a lot of friends and be part of a team that is helping to get millions of dollars in refunds to low-income families!
Community News
Community Activists are fighting a new 27-story luxury apartment development that is planning to build at 8th Street & Catalina. Check out Protect Koreatown’s Facebook page for more information.
Who fatally shot a man found in a parking lot of a Koreatown marijuana clinic?
As the trend of upscale food halls continues to spread through L.A., one is opening up across the street from the Line Hotel! Do you think this place is meant for everyone in our community?
Need a new cookbook? Want to learn how to make banchan? Check out the new Koreatown: A Cookbook. More than just a cookbook, it recounts the formation of Koreatowns throughout the country and the role of these towns in both preserving culture and serving as gates to Korean tastes.
KYCC Staff’s Favorite Food Spot(light)
All’Angolo
4050 W. 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90020
Submitted by: Sue Jong Park, Clinical Unit
Cuisine: Italian
The outside of the restaurant looks very small and uninteresting. But the food is sooo amazing!!! Highly recommended!
Pizza Emiliani—Prosciutto Arugula Parmesan, extra balsamic.
Penne alla Boscaiola—Sue Jong’s favorite!
Check out more staff favorites here. Do you have a favorite restaurant? Submit it here.
Birthdays and KYCC Anniversaries
Birthdays
- Mar. 4 – Darnell Bruce
- Mar. 5 – Julio Barahona
- Mar. 9 – Byron Shinyama
- Mar. 9 – Sungbok Lee
- Mar. 14 – Jae Eun Shin
- Mar. 22 – Walter Holland
Work Anniversaries
- Mar. 8 – 3 years – Ryan Allen
- Mar. 20 – 13 years – Lisa Kim
Open Positions
Have some talented and driven friends? Let them know about our open positions.
- YS - Lead Case Manager
- YS - Academic Assistant Instructor
- CS - Counselor III
- PE - Prevention Education Coordinator
- KT - Kids Town Preschool Director
- ES - Community Engagement Coordinator
- ES - Energy Conservation Trainee
Take Note!
Get an L.A. Library Card!
You may not know it—I sure as hell didn’t—but your L.A. County and L.A. Public Library cards come with some insane benefits. The most obvious is, of course, being able to freely check out almost any library book, graphic novel and movie, but let’s talk about the other free perks that are, quite literally, at your fingertips.
The most impressive free perk is a full free subscription to Lynda.com. We've been paying for a Lynda.com subscription for our staff for the last few months, but we will now be canceling and we encourage all staff to sign up on their own through a library card. This is an amazing benefit.
To see the rest of the free perks, check out this site. Also, thanks to Ashley for a great find. Find your closest library.
If you have any comments, suggestions, concerns, or questions feel free to contact us. Or join the discussion and leave a comment in the box below!
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