20 20 NAEIL FOUNDATION Impact Report 내일재단 Table of Contents 02 Executive Summary 04 Impact at a Glance Global Pandemic 05 Press Highlights Testimonials 70th Anniversary of the Korean War 09 Press Highlights Testimonials 2020 Census / Presidential Elections 13 Key Initiatives Press Highlights Testimonials 20 Recognition N A E I L F O U N D A T I O N • 2 0 2 0 I M P A C T R E P O R T 1 Executive Summary The Naeil Foundation, established at the start of 2020, was founded by second generation Korean Americans. Its mission is to advance social justice and democratic values in the Korean-American community by advocating for policies and civic engagement that places educational access, preservation of cultural heritage, cross-cultural coalition building, and community prosperity at the forefront. Additionally the Foundation promotes equitable treatment of and outcomes for similarly situated underrepresented and socioeconomically disadvantaged communities across the United States and its territories where the Foundation is a major stakeholder in the community. 2020 was expected to be a watershed year, with the decennial U.S. Census and the Presidential Elections, and worldwide commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Korean War. It proved to be an earth-shattering year with the global pandemic bringing the world into a standstill and the civil unrest in the United States. Despite these challenges, the Foundation was able to effectively launch three successful initiatives that not only addressed these historic events but also generated both immediate and lasting positive impacts -- on a regional, national and global scale. At the onset of the pandemic, the Foundation immediately secured and donated critically-necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) to New York City regional Korean American organizations, hospitals, nursing homes, and to Korean War veterans. The donations were crucial in providing essential PPE toward saving lives, while strengthening the good will of the Korean community in the tri-state area. N A E I L F O U N D A T I O N • 2 0 2 0 I M P A C T R E P O R T 2 Naeil means "tomorrow" in Korean 내일재단 Moreover, recognizing the significance of the 70th Anniversary of the Korean War (June 25, 1950 - July 27, 1953) and its impact on the Korean identity and immigration, as well as the U.S.-Korean alliance, the Foundation funded the creation of a website dedicated to honoring Korean War veterans around the world and in the United States while educating the public about the Korean War. The website will continue to promote global awareness of the veterans’ sacrifices while preserving the history and cultural heritage of Koreans worldwide. Lastly, to ensure Korean American participation in the 2020 Census and the Elections, the Foundation sponsored the launch of KA Vote, a non-partisan, multi-generational Task Force made up of nearly 60 regional and national Korean American organizations to increase Korean American civic engagement and representation. The collaborative mobilization efforts reached 1 million Korean Americans nationwide through various platforms which resulted in a historic turnout at the polls, while also uniting the Korean American community in an unprecedented scale and cohesion. For its tremendous work and impact on the Korean community, the Foundation received the “2020 Organization of the Year Award” from the Korean American Association of Greater New York (KAAGNY) during its Annual Gala on Korean American Day, January 13, 2021. Since the arrival of the first Korean immigrants to the United States on January 13, 1903, Korean Americans have worked tirelessly in pursuit of the American Dream and for the future of their children. The Naeil Foundation is committed to empowering the community so generations of Korean Americans can continue to enjoy a better tomorrow. And a brighter tomorrow starts today. N A E I L F O U N D A T I O N • 2 0 2 0 I M P A C T R E P O R T 3 Impact at a Glance S I G N I F I C A N C E & N A E I L F O U N D A T I O N ' S I M P A C T N E E D C O N T R I B U T I O N S ( S H O R T / L O N G - T E R M ) Critical personal PPE donation - 20,000 Direct essential protection protective coveralls to 5 hospitals, 5 to frontline workers, equipment (PPE) nursing homes, 1 veterans indirectly helped saved during the height home, and 5+ Korean lives of the pandemic in American organizations Goodwill for the Korean NYC community REGIONAL Honoring veterans Funded development of a Paying proper tribute to and remembering website featuring stories of veterans and their families the 70th the veterans and their and educating the public anniversary of the sacrifices and promoting Preserving Korean identity Korean War awareness about the and history and significance of the Korean War strengthening alliances GLOBAL Increasing Korean Sponsored the launch of KA Outreach to 1 million American civic Vote -a nonpartisan, Korean Americans, engagement in nationwide Task Force of yielding record turnout the 2020 Census Korean American organizations Community and Presidential to enhance participation in the empowerment, coalition Elections Census, and voter registration building and political and turnount representation NATIONAL N A E I L F O U N D A T I O N • 2 0 2 0 I M P A C T R E P O R T 4 Global Pandemic SIGNIFICANCE & NEED In March 2020, the New York City region emerged as the epicenter of the pandemic in the United States, soon after the country’s first coronavirus infection was discovered. NYC hospitals and emergency rooms were overwhelmed with fatally-ill COVID-19 patients while facing dire shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) — masks, gloves and gowns — for medical staff and frontline workers. By April, NYC accounted for 25% of COVID-19 deaths in the United States. Some of the hardest-hit communities included poor and densely-populated neighborhoods in north-central Queens with high immigrant populations, including Korean Americans living in Flushing. Public hospitals like the Queens Hospital Center and the Elmhurst Hospital Center became overloaded with patients, operating at over 100% capacity without adequate PPE nor personnel. N A E I L F O U N D A T I O N • 2 0 2 0 I M P A C T R E P O R T 5 O D D B A L L I M A G I N G S T U D I O FOUNDATION'S CONTRIBUTIONS Naeil Foundation fulfilled the needs of the greater NYC community by quickly sourcing and purchasing 10,000 highest medical grade coveralls (ASTM F1671 / F1671M certified) from a South Korean manufacturer, in addition to another 10,000 from Taiwan--at a time when they were logistically impossible to obtain and most urgently required. These life-saving, antiviral protective gowns were distributed to four New York hospitals: Mount Sinai Hospital, NYU Langone Medical Center, Elmhurst Hospital Center, and Queens Hospital Center, and one New Jersey hospital: Holy Name Medical Center (where there is a separate Korean Medical Program to serve the large Korean American population living in Bergen County). In addition, the coveralls were donated to Korean-American Medical Practitioners Association of New York (KAMPANY), Korean American Association of Greater New York (KAAGNY), and the Korean Community Services of Metropolitan New York (KCS) to be used while providing direct services to the Korean American community. Moreover, the donation was extended to Veterans Home in Paramus, NJ after a New York Times article exposed the lack of PPE at the facility and the increasing number of deaths of veterans, including Korean War veterans. SHORT TERM IMPACT LONG TERM IMPACT Immediately, the Foundation’s efforts Moreover, the Foundation’s contributions helped save lives in the NYC region. The have established lasting impact by expeditious donations of the PPE gowns helping to establish goodwill in the helped meet urgent needs during the community. The donations were greatly most pressing time of the pandemic in appreciated by the hospitals’ chief NYC. In addition to equipping frontline medical officers, as well as the CEO of workers at five major hospitals, the the veterans home (operated by the New Foundation’s coveralls provided essential Jersey state government), and local protection to Korean American elected officials who will remember organizations that served the most these donations for years to come. vulnerable Koreans through free medical aid and food relief programs, as well as to five nursing homes with high concentration of Korean seniors. N A E I L F O U N D A T I O N • 2 0 2 0 I M P A C T R E P O R T 6 O D D B A L L I M A G I N G S T U D I O PRESS HIGHLIGHTS N A E I L F O U N D A T I O N • 2 0 2 0 I M P A C T R E P O R T 7 TESTIMONIALS N A E I L F O U N D A T I O N • 2 0 2 0 I M P A C T R E P O R T 8 70th Anniversary of the Korean War SIGNIFICANCE & NEED For more than 83 million Koreans worldwide, the Korean War (1950-1953) is a fateful event that changed the course of Korean history and identity, and the future of the Korean Peninsula and people.