Boom! The Korean Culture Association (KCA) Awarded St. Olaf’s Caf Fast for the KUMFA/HEATER Fundraiser

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We here at Land of Gazillion Adoptees would like to congratulate all of the members of St. Olaf College’s Korean Culture Association (KCA), whom we featured earlier today, for winning the college’s Caf Fast. In particular, we send massive kudos to Clara and Gillian, Co-Vice Presidents of KCA, for sealing the deal.

So, what does all of this mean? On Thursday, December 8th, St. Olaf students can, according to KCA President Ellie Martin, “skip a meal in the cafeteria.” The “monetary value of the cafeteria food is then forwarded to” the Korean Unwed Mothers Families’ Association’s (KUMFA) HEATER facility. How high could the monetary value be? Well, there are over 3,000 students. From each donated meal, KUMFA will receive $2.50. You do the math, dear reader.

Thank you, KCA. I, for one, am inspired by your efforts.

P.S. A note to adoption agencies: We here at LGA know that many of you are struggling with your fundraising efforts. Perhaps you should look to folks like Ellie, Clara, and Gillian for guidance because they’re showing you how it’s done.

The Korean Culture Association (KCA) At St. Olaf College Rocks!: LGA’s Conversation With Ellie Martin, President of KCA

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Wow.  We’re unsure what they’re feeding the students at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN, but pompous jerky jerk Kevin Ost-Vollmers (an alumnus of rival school Gustavus Adolphus College) reports that he absolutely felt super old and inadequate after talking with Ellie Martin, President of the college’s Korean Culture Association (KCA).  Seriously.  Impressive.  It’s not an overstatement to say that the students involved with the KCA are rockstars to the core; their support of the Korean Unwed Mothers Families’ Association (KUMFA)/HEATER fundraiser is right on.

“Um Ya Ya!”

P.S. The Korean Herald recently mentioned the KCA as well.
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Land of Gazillion Adoptees: What is the Korean Culture Association (KCA) at St. Olaf?  What do you do?  How many members are there?

Ellie: The Korean Culture Association at St. Olaf College is comprised of students of all backgrounds.  While we have members who are first generation Korean Americans, adopted Korean Americans and those who are non-Korean students, our common interest is in learning about and celebrating Korean culture.  We work to bring opportunities for the community to learn about issues in Korea through educational events, and to present Korean culture through fun community events.  We currently have about a dozen members, with a number of other students who have shown some interest in our group and our activities.

KCA members from left to right: Bradley, Greta, Eric, Clara, Elliott, Ellie, Madeleine, Brad, and Marta.

LGA: Nice.  So, what is the Caf Fast and why have you chosen KUMFA/HEATER as the recipient?

Ellie: We feel that the issues surrounding Korean unwed mothers are inadequately addressed, and KUMFA’s efforts to address and mend these issues are very impressive.  Since raising awareness is an imperative step in social change, we would like to contribute to KUMFA’s advocacy in this regard.  We realize that, as South Korea is a major player in the international adoption scene, the stigma forcing unwed mothers to give up their children for adoption gives rise to larger social ramifications.  For example, it is not uncommon for Korean-American adoptees to struggle with concepts of identity, home, and belonging, and this reality exaggerates the urgency of the situation.  By donating funds from the Caf Fast to HEATER, we can help KUMFA in a pragmatic and meaningful way.

The Caf Fast is a one-day, school-wide event in which a St. Olaf organization can donate the money from the fast toward an organization of their choice.  On this day, students are welcomed to skip a meal in the cafeteria, and the monetary value of the cafeteria food is then forwarded to the designated organization.  The Caf Fast is limited to one organization per semester, and currently we are waiting to hear the results of our application.  Since this opportunity is not solidified, we are also planning on raising funds for KUMFA during the first week in January 2012.

Our week of KUMFA awareness and fund-raising in January will include three parts.  First, we will sponsor a school-wide dance featuring both Korean and popular Western music to foster enthusiasm for our cause.  Next, Jennifer Kwon Dobbs, our organization’s adviser, will introduce KUMFA and their need for support in a formal presentation.  The presentation may include a live Skype conversation with a representative of KUMFA or a mother from their program, and students will be welcomed to ask questions and offer donations at the end of this event.  Lastly, we will donate the profits from our paper flower sale in the first week of January to KUMFA.  We are very excited about this project, and we hope to offer a positive and constructive discourse between KUMFA and the St. Olaf community.

LGA: (Wow, when did St. Olaf students become so awesome..?) Is there a message you would like to send to the mothers and children involved with KUMFA?

Ellie: We would like the mothers and children of KUMFA to know that KCA is keeping them in our thoughts, and that we fully support their efforts for a better life.  We hope that, with KCA’s and KUMFA’s help, they will soon find the understanding, acceptance, and resources necessary to thrive in Korean society.  화이팅!  and 사랑해!

LGA: Word.

“Becoming a parent is obviously a huge step for everyone, but for adopted people I feel there is a significance that cannot be put into words.”: LGA’s conversation with Julie Young of KoreanAmericanStory.org.

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Psst.  We want to share a little secret with you, dear reader.  Contrary to what adoption agencies and certain adoption professionals believe, adoptees are not perpetual infants/children.  It turns out adoptees grow up like the rest of us!  Who knew?!  Some of them even, “Gasp!,” become parents to children of their own.  I know.  I know.  Hard to believe, right?  Need evidence?  Here you go.

Enjoy.

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Land of Gazillion Adoptees: You write a monthly column called “Heart and Seoul” for KoreanAmericanStory.org. For folks who don’t know, what is KoreanAmericanStory.org and what types of topics do you cover?

Julie: KoreanAmericanStory.org is a non-profit organization that was started to collect and archive the stories of the first couple of generations of Korean-Americans. We now have a history here in America, but our stories are not being collected and archived for future generations – until now. The stories are collected through creative works such as writing, poetry, videos, etc. By the way, very soon we will be putting out a call for work, and so all of you creative types should look out for that!

My monthly column “Heart and Seoul” is based on my perspective as a Korean-American woman who was adopted and now has a multi-racial family of my own. My twins are Black-Korean-American. I also do interviews of interesting Korean-Americans for the “Profiles” section. My latest was of the singer Ameriie. And right now I am working on my next profile of Marja Vongerichten, a fellow adoptee! It should be published soon.

KoreanAmericanStory.org is very inclusive. This is one of the reasons why I love it so much. For me, I know that often times as an adopted person I have felt left out or awkward in other Korean organizations. In fulfilling the mission of KoreanAmericanStory.org through the collection of stories, the organization is cognizant of including all Korean-Americans, whether adopted, biracial, or not.

LGA: Sweet! You wrote a wonderful piece entitled “The Magical Number 3“ a year and a half  ago. Please talk us through it and what, if anything, has changed since you wrote the piece.

Julie: Yes, that was the first piece I wrote for KoreanAmericanStory.org. I was adopted at the age of three. I think, like many adoptees, becoming a parent had a huge affect on me. It was extremely important for me to have children from my and my husband’s DNA, but it was a huge struggle for us. It took almost six years to finally win the advanced medicine lottery also known as in-vitro fertilization to become parents.

That six year struggle to become a mom, plus the fact of being adopted, sort of makes all-things parenting related even more intense. A few months before my son and daughter were going to turn three, I started having all of these seriously intense emotions about them turning the age that I was when I was sent away to be adopted. At times, the sadness of trying to imagine sending one of my kids away – alone, on a plane to a different country, a different language, a different family – was so intense that I would just start crying. It made me imagine more vividly than I had ever done before what I may have been thinking as that small, three year old girl. So, “The Magical Number 3” was my catharsis of some of those emotions.

Of course finally becoming a mom has been healing for me in so many ways. I guess that answers the second part of this question – what has changed is that my healing continues. Through being a mom, I feel some reconciliation of having been adopted; I’ve come close to “full circle.” Having my own family makes me feel more whole and anchored. Oh, and the other thing that has changed is that my kids are now four and a half years old, and time just keeps going by faster and faster!

LGA: After that know-it-all guy Kevin Ost-Vollmers announced on Facebook the forthcoming CQT Media And Publishing/Land of Gazillion Adoptees book about “adoptees parenting,” you said: “The book idea is one that should have been done a long time ago!”  Would you mind elaborating?

Julie: As you know, our voices as adopted adults has been ignored for far too long. So, anything that puts our collective voice out there is important. However, in addition to that, I think there are stages in the journey of an adopted person. I think that one of the major stages is becoming a parent. Becoming a parent is obviously a huge step for everyone, but for adopted people I feel there is a significance that cannot be put into words. As I’ve mentioned, I think there is a lot of healing and reconciliation that can come from becoming a parent. Also, I think when we become parents we may discover emotions that we didn’t know we had.

I can’t wait to read the book!

LGA: Thanks, Julie! And to you, dear reader, we strongly encourage you to go checkout KoreanAmericanStory.org. It’s great!