What’s New
Giving Tuesday and Annual Appeal Bring in Over $13,000!
KYCC’s end-of-year development campaigns, Giving Tuesday and the Annual Appeal 2017 brought in over $13,000 from individual donors!
All of the proceeds from Giving Tuesday, solely promoted on social media, went to buy more toys and games for the 24th Annual Holiday Carnival. Founded in 2012, #GivingTuesday continues to inspire giving around the world year after year. Each celebration results in greater donations, volunteer hours, and activities that bring about change in communities.
Our Annual Appeal proceeds will go towards bolstering our programs and services to the community.
A large amount of donations came from the friends and families of KYCC staff who created crowdfunding pages and shared them on social media. Next year, the Development Team is planning on merging the two campaigns into one month-long campaign. We encourage staff to participate by creating fundraising pages to help our organization raise money for our agency!
Client Spotlight – Koreatown Couple Turns to KYCC After Facing Landlord Abuse
For 20 years, Francisco and Elvis lived peacefully in a Koreatown apartment off of Pico Boulevard with their two small dogs. People in the building were longtime residents; they were friendly with each other, saying hello as they passed. But in 2016, the owner sold the building to his nephew. And that’s when everything changed for this couple.
“One day, the new landlord told me he was no longer accepting our rent,” Francisco explains. “He was homophobic. He told me that he didn’t want us in the building and that we had to leave.” Read more here.
BRIDGE Holds Fundraiser at Ubatuba Açaí
On Oct. 17, KYCC’s high-school volunteer program BRIDGE partnered with Ubatuba Açaí in Koreatown to raise funds for its youth group, collecting $41 from a fundraiser that took place in one of their stores. Read more here.
Interested in more KYCC news? Check out the News and Events Page.
New Hire
Chan Mi P. Hwang
My name is Chan Mi P. Hwang. I was born and raised in South Korea for 12 years until my family decided to immigrate to El Salvador. As I spent my teenage year in El Salvador attending International School, I had an opportunity to experience, learn and accept various cultures. After graduating from high school, I came to the United States to experience a wider world. I have a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, focused in Accounting, from Grand Valley State University in Michigan. I also have a master’s degree in Educational Ministry from Calvin Theological Seminary in Michigan. After I graduated from my master’s program, I married my wonderful husband who is a junior high pastor. I lived in Michigan for nine years before my husband and I made a big move to California last September. I have worked in various fields including customer service, maintenance, religious education and administrative support. As I was looking for a new challenging job, I found Kids Town where I can apply my knowledge into practice by helping and supporting immigrant families, especially serving their little children. I am more than happy to be a part of Kids Town and a part of our children’s lives.
In Honor of Black History Month (February)
Glesteree “G” Blades
Human Resources Manager
Here are Five African American History Facts and Five Inventions:
Did you know that…
Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated on Dr. Maya Angelou’s birthday (April 4, 1968).
Dr. Angelou stopped celebrating her birthday after that date.
Wally Amos founder of “Famous Amos Cookies” worked as a Talent Agent for William Morris.
Alicia Keys was accepted to Columbia University on a full scholarship but decided to pursue a full-time music career instead.
Ann Lowe designed Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’s wedding dress for her wedding to JFK.
Dr. Charles Drew pioneered the modern blood bank.
Dr. Daniel Hale Willams pioneered open-heart surgery.
Thomas Mensah pioneered the field of Fiber Optics.
Lonnie Johnson invented “The Super Soaker.”
And…
Otis Boykin invented the Pacemaker.
Now you know!
February: National Cherry Month
In honor of National Cherry Month, KOA will have a “Make Your Own Cherry Pie” on Wednesday, February 14 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Come by and make a pie!
Community News
New Taiwanese Boba Place near KOA
Miguel’s Voice
Did you know…
When you look at your personal gmail account, our spam filter doesn’t work?
We’ve been hit twice by ransomware in the last few months. Both times it came in when staff clicked on links in their personal email accounts.
This cost us hundreds of hours of work and a bunch of lost data. Luckily our back-up system and tech support came to the rescue and we didn’t have to pay the ransom.
Please use your cell phone to check your personal email and never click on links you weren’t expecting.
Now you know!
-Miguel
Staff’s Favorite Food Spot(light)
Koreatown Plaza
By Vince Leus
A pseudo-love letter to Koreatown Plaza
(Author’s note: play the audio while you read the article)
There’s something universal while at the same time deeply personal about a food court. Maybe it’s the clanging of dishes, the deep screech of seat legs dragging against linoleum tile, or the cacophony of conversations bouncing from wall to wall, but I feel at home eating alone at the Koreatown Plaza, a shopping mall at Western Avenue and James M. Wood Street.
As a kid, my mom dragged me to the local shopping mall every Saturday so that she could enjoy her regular pastime: window-shopping. I dreaded going, but I put up with it so I could go to KB Toys (rest in peace, mall toy stores) and somehow convince my mom to buy me a toy.
The Koreatown Plaza food court is unique from other mall food courts. The pink-and-white floor tile and the neon signs hanging above each counter make it seem like you stepped into a time machine and entered 1985, and the food triggers memories of a “better time.” Offering mostly Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese fare, every shop has some dish that brings the nostalgia of childhood.
For me, that dish is the Katsu House’s chicken katsu. The standard breaded chicken cutlet, drenched in katsu sauce, brings me back to the Newpark Mall my mom dragged me to. My favorite food to eat was the katsu from the generic Japanese wok in the food court. Every time I walk into that food court I am reminded of those boring Saturdays at the mall with my mom, hoping that she would buy me the newest Pokémon game at the end of the day if I didn’t complain too much.
Koreatown Plaza is the perfect place to go to when you feel like being alone but not actually physically alone. There’s a comfort in being just another anonymous face among hundreds of (mostly seniors) people eating lunch and catching up with friends. I recommend grabbing lunch alone and people watching. You can learn a lot about humans and our peculiarities and maybe remember something about yourself that you had forgotten many years ago.
(Special shout-outs to the Spicy Sashimi salad at the sushi shop, and the rice cake skewers at Awoolim, and the naengmyun at Town Noodle.)
Birthdays and KYCC Anniversaries
Birthdays
- Jan 13 – Valerie Mireles
- Jan 13 – Yancy Mauricio
- Jan 14 – Helen Ban
- Jan 17 – Danielle Joo
- Jan 17 – Jessica Ortega
- Jan 27 – Steve Kang
- Feb 1 – Iesha Smith
- Feb 3 – Oscar Solano
- Feb 7 – Melanie Villasenor
- Feb 11 – Alice Lee
- Feb 11 – Isaac Kim
- Feb 18 – Edna Cedillos
- Feb 18 – Kyungoei “Kay” Moon
- Feb 18 – Seung Yoon
- Feb 26 – Marla Roque
- Feb 26 – May Kim
- Feb 26 – Vince Leus
- Feb 27 – Euriah Lee
- Feb 28 – Peaches Chung
Work Anniversaries
- Jan 2 – 4 years – Katherine Kim
- Jan 3 – 1 year – Sarah Cho
- Jan 3 – 1 year – Charvel Valenzuela
- Jan 4 – 1 year – Michelle Kim
- Jan 8 – 5 years – Edith Bedolla
- Jan 12 – 6 years – Doris Valenzuela
- Jan 24 – 6 years – Alondra Meza
- Jan 26 – 2 years – Lidia Sebastian
- Jan 28 – 2 years – Erik Lopez
- Jan 28 – 2 years – Rumee Chung
- Feb 4 – 5 years – Joanne Kim
- Feb 21 – 1 year – Ginny Kim
- Feb 22 – 1 year – Sarah Ko
- Feb 27 – 1 year – Euriah Lee
Open Positions
Have some talented and driven friends? Let them know about our open positions.
- Clinical – Clinical Supervisor
- Clinical – Counselor III (Bilingual English-Korean)
- Clinical – Counselor III (Bilingual English-Spanish)
- CED – Retail Store Manager
- Environmental – Clean Streets Specialist
- Kids Town – Preschool Teacher
- Prevention Education – Prevention Education Manager
- Substance Use Disorder Services – Substance Use Disorder Services Manager
- Youth Services – Youth Prevention Specialist
Take Note!
Your first question should not be “Will this work?” but rather “If this works, will it matter?”
– Unknown
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