Designed with Care: Behind the Redesign of KKOOM’s Website

KKOOM website homepage showing students gathered around a table during a workshop, with navigation and mission statement visible.

From Discovering KKOOM to Pitching Projects In 2021, Will Landers and I met during our first year as U.S. Fulbright Korea English Teaching Assistants (ETAs). During orientation, Grace Lee, KKOOM’s former Executive Director, shared a presentation about KKOOM’s work. As a Korean adoptee, I was instantly drawn to the organization’s mission and eager to find […]

We Are Closing Out Our Preschool Scholarship Program

A group of young children stand in a classroom together, smiling and posing with peace signs and stickers covering their faces.

Thank you for your many years of generosity toward KKOOM’s Pre-School Scholarship Program, and our “Early education for Korean toddlers” project on GlobalGiving. Your support has helped young children in Korea access early childhood education during a time when government funding was limited. Today, we are writing to share an important update: we will be […]

Updates on Taehyeon KKOOM’s U.S. College Scholar

A young person plays mini-golf on an outdoor course surrounded by greenery. Another player is seen in the distance.

U.S. College Scholar Program Earlier this year, YANA Ministry, an organization in our network that supports orphans and children experiencing poverty, reached out to ask if we could help a young adult named Taehyeon. Since we have known Taehyeon from his time living at a KKOOM-supported children’s home, our answer was an immediate yes.   […]

Be the Change – Reflections from Chaelin Hong

A volunteer takes a cheerful selfie with a group of children standing behind her. The children’s faces are covered with flower stickers, and they are smiling and making peace signs.

As Chae is wrapping up her role as Executive Assistant for KKOOM, we asked her to share her experiences serving Korean children and what this experience has meant to her. Below are some reflections from KKOOM’s Executive Assistant, Chaelin Hong. Finding My Promise During my first semester of college, I made a promise to myself. […]

KKOOM’s First Wish

A volunteer dressed as Santa poses beside a young child holding a wrapped Christmas gift. The child’s face is covered with a flower sticker, and the backdrop features holiday decorations.

The origins of KKOOM began with one simple wish—to bring Christmas cheer to youth living in a children’s home in Gumi, South Korea. In 2004, Aimee Jachym, KKOOM’s Co-founder, was serving as a Fulbright English Teacher and spent her free time volunteering at a local children’s home. Aimee, along with Erika (KKOOM’s other co-founder) and […]

From Vision to Reality

A large group of young adults, dressed in semi-formal black and white attire with name tags, pose together for a cheerful group photo at an indoor event. One woman in the front playfully extends her arms while wearing a sash that reads “Miss Universe.” Everyone is smiling and gathered closely, creating a warm, lively atmosphere.

When I became the Executive Director of KKOOM in October 2020, one of my big goals was to plan an in-person event in Atlanta. KKOOM is very unique in that we’ve been in existence since 2007, but for fifteen years, we never hosted an event in the United States, until 2023. That vision in 2020 […]