Korean American Family Services (KFAM), a non-profit organization that offers counseling services and foster care for Asian American children and families, celebrated 32 years of service on September 30 during its annual fundraising gala.
KFAM was founded in 1983 by a group of Korean women who were inspired by Dr. Tae Young Lee, the first female attorney in Korea and an active advocate for women's and children's rights. Since its founding, the organization provided counseling to more than 370 clients in an individual and group setting, and case management to more than 180 clients for domestic violence. The organization also partners with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the California Department of Education to subsidize meals at almost 400 licensed day care centers and home providers in Southern California.
KFAM also has partnered with some 70 faith groups and trained Korean faith leaders regarding domestic violence during a conference in May.
"KFAM understands the needs of the local Korean community and can better reach out to those who are underserved," said Jonathan Schreiber, the director of community engagement at Cedars-Sinai, which partners with KFAM.
In particular, KFAM recently launched the Korean Foster Family Initiative (KFFI) in partnership with the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (LA DCFS), through which the organization has been holding backpack drives and Christmas parties. Through the initiative, nine Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) children have been placed with foster families thus far, and 5 children have been adopted.
"Every child needs to experience what family is like," said Korean actress Aera Shin, who partners with KFAM on the Korean Foster Family Initiative. "For me, my heart is for children, but what your heart goes out to might be different. I hope you'll discover where your compassion goes after, and take action on that," Shin said during remarks at the gala.
California Assemblywoman Young Kim and Los Angeles City Councilmember David Ryu were also praised the service that KFAM has offered to the community.
"There are 28,000 children in foster care in Los Angeles alone," Ryu said at the gala. "Please consider the numbers."
"We can only help the community effectively by doing it together, brick by brick," said Connie Chung Joe, the executive director of KFAM. "KFAM will not stop in seeking out and working to fill the gap where Korean Americans are facing hardships, and to seek out programs, systems, and employment opportunities for survivors of human trafficking and domestic violence."
