Annual Gala 2019

Kyung B. Yoon

We had an amazing 2019 Gala with record attendance and donations raised! Special thank you to all who came to support us with their time and gifts. We thank and celebrate our honorees – Andy Kim, Kristen Kish, and Kyung B. Yoon – who shared their wonderful stories. A big thank you to our fantastic NYC Story Slam 2019 winners, Jen Kim and Claire Choi, our musical performer Year of the Ox, and our fabulous host Vivian Lee. We hope many of you can join us next year for our special 10th Anniversary!

To view more details please click here.

View all photos here!

About

Kyung B. Yoon
Trailblazer Honoree

Kyung B. Yoon is the President and Co-Founder of the Korean American Community Foundation (KACF), a leading provider of grants and capacity - building assistance to organizations working to address...

Kyung B. Yoon is the President and Co-Founder of the Korean American Community Foundation (KACF), a leading provider of grants and capacity - building assistance to organizations working to address the most pressing needs in the Korean and Asian American communities in the New York area. A longtime community leader and advocate for promoting philanthropy in the Asian American community, Kyung brings professional skills honed from her previous experience in the fields of communications and poverty alleviation.

Kristen Kish
Trailblazer Honoree

Kristen Kish was born in South Korea and adopted into a family in Kentwood , MI. After moving to Boston, Kristen worked in many high-profile restaurants including Michelin-star Chef Guy...

Kristen Kish was born in South Korea and adopted into a family in Kentwood , MI. After moving to Boston, Kristen worked in many high-profile restaurants including Michelin-star Chef Guy Martin’s Sensing and Barbara Lynch’s Stir as Chef de Cuisine. Kristen was co-host of “36 Hours,” a Travel Channel show that partnered with The New York Times to bring the hit newspaper column to television. Kristen recently went on tour with her first cookbook - Kristen Kish Cooking – which launched October 31, 2017. Currently, Kristen has partnered with Sydell group to launch her first restaurant, Arlo Grey in Austin, TX.

Andy Kim
Trailblazer Honoree

Andy Kim was born in Boston and raised in Cherry Hill, NJ. He graduated from the University of Chicago in 2004 with a degree in political science. Andy worked at...

Andy Kim was born in Boston and raised in Cherry Hill, NJ. He graduated from the University of Chicago in 2004 with a degree in political science. Andy worked at the U.S. State Department and served in Afghanistan as a civilian advisor to General David Petraeus and John R. Allen, before working as a national security adviser for the White House under President Barak Obama. Andy served as a United States National Security Council official to President Obama. In 2018, Andy went on to defeat two - term incumbent Republican Tom MacArthur to become the first Asian American congressman from New Jersey, and the first Korean American congressman in the country since Jay Kim of California who was elected to the House of Representatives in 1992.

Jen Kim
Performer

Jen Kim, the 2nd place winner of ROAR Story Slam NYC 2019, performs as a special guest at KoreanAmericanStory.org's 9th Annual Gala with her piece "Holding On."

Jen Kim, the 2nd place winner of ROAR Story Slam NYC 2019, performs as a special guest at KoreanAmericanStory.org's 9th Annual Gala with her piece "Holding On."

Claire Choi
Performer

Claire Choi, the 1st place winner of ROAR Story Slam NYC 2019, performs as a special guest at KoreanAmericanStory.org's 9th Annual Gala with her piece "Grandma."

Claire Choi, the 1st place winner of ROAR Story Slam NYC 2019, performs as a special guest at KoreanAmericanStory.org's 9th Annual Gala with her piece "Grandma."

Year of the OX
Performer

Year of the OX performs as a special guest at KoreanAmericanStory.org's 9th Annual Gala including their song "Word to the Hyphen" from the original soundtrack of Happy Cleaners.

Year of the OX performs as a special guest at KoreanAmericanStory.org's 9th Annual Gala including their song "Word to the Hyphen" from the original soundtrack of Happy Cleaners.

Galas

Annual Gala 2024

A RECORD-BREAKING NIGHT!

We were thrilled to celebrate the 14th Annual Gala on Friday, October 25th. Your generous support helped us raise a record-breaking $600K! This incredible achievement will allow us to continue our mission of preserving our heritage and inspiring future generations.

Thank you to our community! We extend our deepest gratitude to our sponsors, donors, volunteers, and attendees who made this evening possible. Your commitment to Korean American Story is invaluable. A big thank you to T&W Foundation for their steadfast support over the past ten years!

Special thanks to the YS Kim Foundation for their support and dedication of our mission. They matched every dollar that was raised during the gala, allowing us to double our fundraising goal for the evening.

A big thank you to Le Mieux Skincare for providing our guests with luxurious gift bags.

We couldn’t have done it without our incredible Live Ask & Auction Host, Kathleen Kim and Emcee host, Vivian Lee, who helped us raise significant funds.

A special thank you to our musical guest, NoSo, for their amazing performance.

And finally, a heartfelt thank you to our dedicated volunteers and staff who worked tirelessly to make the event a success!

…Until next time! Keep an eye out next week for our portraits and event photos on our website and Facebook page!

View All Photos: Portraits // Event

Creative Team:
Portrait Photographer – Janice Chung
Photo Assistant – Joy Kim
Event Photographer – Poupay Jutharat
Camera Op + Animations – AJ Valente
Camera Op + Editor – Kimberly Young Sun
Event Design – Celine Son
Graphic Designer – Yuliya Kim, Dani Kau, and Celine Son

Brand Sponsors:
Le Mieux Skincare

Annual Gala 2023

Reliving the magic of our 13th Annual Gala!

We want to thank you all for your unwavering support and for making this night one for the books. We exceeded our donation goal in less than 15 minutes!! Truly a record time!! We couldn’t have done it without our amazing community. Cheers to an incredible evening!

We want to especially thank our trailblazer honorees Andrew Ahn, Joel Kim Booster, and Schuyler Bailar for sharing their Korean American story with us. It was an honor to celebrate them, thank you for creating space for our future generations.

Finally, a huge thank you to our Emcee Vivian Lee, Live Ask Host Kathleen Kim, and Musical Guest SuperKnova!

Annual Gala 2022

Celebrating our 12th Annual Gala in-person at Tribeca 360, NYC! We want to thank our honorees, Linda Lee, Sesame Street, and Esther Choi for being so vulnerable and sharing their Korean American story with us. You all deserve to be called trailblazers for your impact and contributions to our community!

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