{"id":12568,"date":"2025-11-01T01:09:10","date_gmt":"2025-11-01T01:09:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsite.kkoom.org\/?p=12568"},"modified":"2025-11-29T16:01:33","modified_gmt":"2025-11-29T16:01:33","slug":"on-a-mission-to-plan-the-perfect-holiday-party","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsite.kkoom.org\/ko\/2025\/11\/01\/on-a-mission-to-plan-the-perfect-holiday-party\/","title":{"rendered":"On a Mission to Plan the Perfect Holiday Party"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Spreading Joy, Building Tradition<\/b><\/h2>

As we enter fall and the end of the year draws near, we\u2019re reflecting on the impact your support has made and the dreams it continues to nurture. Thanks to your generosity, students in Korea\u2019s social welfare system have explored their creativity, traveled to new cities, pursued master\u2019s degrees, stayed active through sports, received computers and tutoring, and much more. Each story reminds us that your support brings every child one step closer to their dreams.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Former Executive Director Grace Lee and Board Member Margaret, alongside Fulbright alumni and ETAs, volunteering at a holiday party in 2022.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Preparing for a Season of Celebration<\/b><\/h2>

While the holidays are still a few months away, our preparations begin early to ensure every detail is in place for our annual celebrations. By late summer, we reconnect with U.S. Fulbright English Teaching Assistants (ETAs), young adults living in Korea through a U.S. government-funded grant who volunteer as co-chairs and committee members. Together, we brainstorm activity booth ideas, write talent show scripts, design holiday campaigns, and organize supply lists. It\u2019s the perfect example of how teamwork truly makes the dream work.<\/span><\/p>

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This planning doesn\u2019t happen in isolation. We work closely with the children\u2019s homes we support, gathering feedback throughout the process to make each celebration even more meaningful. This year, one home requested that we dream up more creative and inclusive stations, especially for older teens. Our team is now developing new activities that will make every child feel seen and valued.<\/span><\/p>

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In addition to the holiday party activities, we make sure each child receives a gift from their holiday wish list. This annual tradition began when KKOOM\u2019s co-founders (who were also Fulbright ETAs at the time), raised donations to provide holiday gifts and activities for children. Our annual holiday parties are a beautiful reminder of our humble beginnings, and how one act of giving and generosity can go a long way.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Heejae, KKOOM Board Member, volunteering at the 2019 holiday party.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Joy That Lasts Beyond the Day<\/b><\/h2>

This year, our holiday parties will reach more than 200 children across several children\u2019s homes in Korea\u2019s Gyeongsangbukdo region, many of whom will celebrate the holidays only through this event. Year after year, the laughter, songs, and shared moments remind us why this work matters.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\u201cIt wasn\u2019t until I volunteered for the second time that I realized just how much joy the Christmas parties bring to the children. Volunteering taught me how meaningful these traditions are and how even a little bit of time can bring such big smiles to their faces.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Heejae\u00a0<\/strong> | 2019 KKOOM Christmas Volunteer and KKOOM Board Member<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Each celebration builds upon lessons from the last, creating cherished traditions that offer comfort and stability in the midst of uncertainty. For many children, it\u2019s more than just a party, it\u2019s a reminder that they are loved, remembered, and worthy of joy.<\/span><\/p>

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Looking Ahead with Gratitude<\/b><\/h2>

As we prepare for another season of joy, we\u2019re reminded that it\u2019s your generosity that makes this tradition possible. Your continued support allows us to create spaces of belonging, laughter, and hope for children who deserve nothing less.<\/span><\/p>

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Thank you for being part of KKOOM\u2019s story and for helping us keep this beautiful tradition alive year after year.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Spreading Joy, Building Tradition As we enter fall and the end of the year draws near, we\u2019re reflecting on the impact your support has made and the dreams it continues to nurture. Thanks to your generosity, students in Korea\u2019s social welfare system have explored their creativity, traveled to new cities, pursued master\u2019s degrees, stayed active […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":12651,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[71],"author_post_stories":[77],"class_list":["post-12568","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-holiday-parties","tag-fundraisers","author_post_stories-leah-garlock"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsite.kkoom.org\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12568","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsite.kkoom.org\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsite.kkoom.org\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsite.kkoom.org\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsite.kkoom.org\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12568"}],"version-history":[{"count":31,"href":"https:\/\/newsite.kkoom.org\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12568\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12741,"href":"https:\/\/newsite.kkoom.org\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12568\/revisions\/12741"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsite.kkoom.org\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12651"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsite.kkoom.org\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12568"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsite.kkoom.org\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12568"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsite.kkoom.org\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12568"},{"taxonomy":"author_post_stories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsite.kkoom.org\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/author_post_stories?post=12568"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}