2015 Annual Gala
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KOREAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION 2015 ANNUAL GALA Korean American Community Foundation 2015 Annual Gala WELCOME Juju Chang ABC News Nightline & Michael Kim 120 Sports PRESIDENT James Wohn GALA CO-CHAIRS Alex Chi Michael Chung EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Kyung B. Yoon VIDEO GRANTEE SPEAKER DINNER HONOREE AWARD Ken Jeong LIVE AUCTION KEYNOTE ADDRESS H.E. Mr. Ban Ki-moon Secretary-General of the United Nations CLOSING Welcome from the Gala Co-Chairs Thank you for joining us at the Korean American Community Foundation’s 2015 Annual Gala! Tonight’s Gala celebrates the work of our remarkable individuals and grantee partners that are making a real difference and inspiring us to create a safer and healthier community. This year, we are proud to recognize Ken Jeong, actor, comedian, producer and physician. He is one of the most prominent and widely recognized Korean American entertainers and has become a strong advocate for healthcare access after his wife’s battle with cancer. We are humbled by his generosity in sharing his personal story to encourage greater attention to healthcare needs, and it is our pleasure to honor Ken Jeong at our Gala. We are also incredibly privileged to welcome H.E. Mr. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, as tonight’s Keynote Speaker. The Secretary-General is a distinguished man of service, who serves our international communities with boldness and compassion. His exemplary leadership and contributions to our world truly inspires us, and we look forward to hearing from him. Our Gala tonight is possible through the collective efforts of many individuals, including our Board of Directors, staff and the members of the 2015 Gala Benefit Committee. We would especially like to acknowledge Joseph Bae and Mike Joo, Gala Dinner Co-Chairs, for serving as wonderful ambassadors of KACF. We also thank Misook Doolittle and Simon Kim, Gala Auction Co-Chairs, for their tireless efforts and passion for KACF. Finally, we are deeply indebted to the generous sponsors of this year’s Gala for making it a resounding success. We hope you are inspired this evening by the extraordinary people and organizations and join KACF in creating a vibrant and strong community. Thank you for being a part of this celebration. 2015 Gala Co-Chairs Alex Chi Michael Chung 2 KOREAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION Welcome from the President & Executive Director On behalf of the Korean American Community Foundation, we welcome you to our Annual Gala! Since KACF was founded in 2002, we have awarded 245 grants totaling more than $4.7 million to support 62 non- profit organizations that are in the frontlines addressing the most pressing needs in our communities. We are often the first source of institutional funding, particularly for Korean nonprofit organizations that provide critical services with cultural and language competence, and KACF has become an important grantmaker in the Korean American community. Your investment in KACF has allowed us the privilege of working with our grantee partners which has had a positive impact on the lives of thousands of individuals. In addition to being a grantmaker, the Foundation plays a significant role in raising the visibility of our community to the broader nonprofit sector, harnessing the growing philan- thropic power of Korean Americans to find solutions for social challenges, and strengthening nonprofits so they can be more effective in their work. Tonight’s success would not have been possible without the dedication of many individuals, especially the entire Gala leadership. Particularly, we thank and acknowledge this year’s Gala Co-Chairs, Michael Chung and Alex Chi, for their outstanding efforts and accomplishments. Thank you again for being a part of this remarkable evening and for partnering with KACF to empower, strengthen and transform our communities! Sincerely, James Wohn Kyung B. Yoon President Executive Director 2015 ANNUAL GALA 3 Honoree Ken Jeong Actor, Comedian, Producer and Physician Actor, producer and writer Ken Jeong, known for his scene stealing abilities, has established himself as one of today’s top comedic stars. In 2009, Jeong appeared as the Asian-mobster “Mr. Chow” in the sleeper-hit comedy The Hangover which earned him 3 Teen Choice Nominations and an MTV Movie Award. The film was the highest-grossing R-rated comedy to date, only to be trumped byThe Hangover 2, which grossed $581 million worldwide. He was then seen in The Hangover 3, another mega hit, which showcased his meatiest performance to date. Since his feature film debut playing the doctor inKnocked Up in 2007, Jeong has gone on to a number of memorable roles in a series of successful comedies such as Role Models, Pineapple Express and Step Brothers. His other film credits includeThe Duff, Transformers 3, and Despicable Me 2. Jeong can next be seen starring in Ride Along 2 with Ice Cube and Kevin Hart and lending his voice to the animated filmNorm of the North. Jeong’s career path started off on a different course, earning his undergraduate degree at Duke University and his medical degree at the University of North Carolina. Jeong completed his Internal Medicine residency in New Orleans all the while developing his comedy. A big break came in 1995, when he won the Big Easy Laff Off and that led him to Los Angeles where he began performing at the Improv and Laugh Factory, and appear on TV shows such as The Office, Entourage, and MADtv. Jeong is currently starring in ABC’s Dr. Ken, which he created, writes and is an Executive Producer. He also was a series regular on the critically acclaimed NBC show Community from 2009-2015. The cast won a TV Guide Award for Favorite Ensemble in 2012. In 2015, Jeong directed an ESPN 30 for 30 documentary Student Athlete and produced the Sun- dance award-winning filmAdvantageous . Jeong spends a lot of his off time volunteering with Stand Up 2 Cancer, which is a cause very dear to his heart. Jeong currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife and twin daughters. 4 KOREAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION Keynote Speaker H.E. Mr. Ban Ki-moon Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon is the eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations. He has sought to be a bridge builder, to give voice to the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people, and to make the Organization itself more transparent, effective and efficient. “I grew up in war,” the Secretary-General has said, “and saw the difference the United Nations can make in helping a country to recover and rebuild. As Secretary-General, I am determined to see this Organization deliver meaningful results that advance peace, sustainable development and human rights.” Mr. Ban took office on 1 January 2007, was unanimously re-elected by the General Assem- bly in 2011, and will serve until 31 December 2016. His priorities have been to mobilize world leaders to address global challenges ranging from poverty and climate change to violent conflict and intolerance. He pressed successfully for the creation of UN Women, and during his tenure the number of women in senior management positions has reached the highest level in UN history. He has undertaken major efforts to strengthen UN peace efforts, promote accountability for violations of human rights, and improve humanitarian response, and has advocated for the rejuvenation of the disarmament agenda. The Secretary-General was born in the Republic of Korea on 13 June 1944. He received a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Seoul National University, and a master’s degree in public administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard Uni- versity. At the time of his election as Secretary-General, Mr. Ban was his country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade. His ties to the United Nations date back to 1975, when he worked for the Foreign Ministry’s United Nations Division. Mr. Ban has also been actively involved in issues relating to inter-Korean relations. He and his wife, Madam Yoo (Ban) Soon-taek, have one son, two daughters and four grandchildren. 2015 ANNUAL GALA 5 Emcee Juju Chang ABC News Nightline Juju Chang is an Emmy Award-winning co-anchor of ABC News’ “Nightline.” She also reports regularly for “Good Morning America” and “20/20.” Chang covered breaking news of the devastating effects of Superstorm Sandy from lower Manhattan to Breezy Point to the Rockaways. She reported on the mass shootings in Newtown, Connecticut, interviewing a mother of one of the young victims. She’s contributed reports for special “Nightline” series on gun control and racial tensions. Chang has covered global events and issues like the earthquake in Haiti and maternal and infant mortality in Mozambique. She received one of her two Emmys for team coverage of the California wildfires. She also won one of her two Gracies for a “20/20” story on gender equality in the sciences. Chang’s other award-winning investigative reports include the case of Hannah Overton, a young Texas mother sentenced to life in prison for the salt-poison- ing death of her foster son, Andrew Burd. She most recently won the “Front page Award” for a story about a transgendered teens transition. A former news anchor for “Good Morning America,” Chang had previously anchored the early morning newscasts “World News Now” and “World News This Morning” in 2000. She began her career at ABC News as a desk assistant and eventually became a producer at “World News Tonight.” From 1996-1997, Chang was based in Washington, DC, where she covered the White House, Capitol Hill and the 1996 Presidential election for NewsOne, ABC’s affiliate service. Prior to her assignment in Washington, she was a reporter for KGO-TV in San Francisco, from 1995-1996.