KYHS: Fundraising Dinner for People With Disabilities

Out of many events that I had led in the past, the Korea Youth Honor Society (KYHS) Fundraising Dinner on August 9th, 2023, was probably the most stressful yet rewarding experience of my life. Aimed to raise social awareness and monetary funds for people with disabilities in Korea, I planned and directed the special night as the KYHS Community Director.

It is the undeniable truth that South Korean society tends to hide or shame away people with disabilities in our community. Having an uncle with a disability myself, I had wanted to address this issue for a long time but didn't know where or how to start. Through this event, however, I was able to invite nearly 100 people (including some people with special needs as well!) in South Korea in collaboration with Kyonam Sinaega, a facility for those with disabilities, and openly talk about the misconceptions and/or lack of support for people with special needs. During the event, KYHS members presented the social study report on how different nations address these problems in their communities and delivered the collected funds to Kyonam Sinaega for financial support.

Overlapping with the first day of school, planning the fundraising dinner about nine months prior to the event and running around everywhere to execute the event was indeed hectic. However, the moment I stood next to one of our special guests from Kyonam Sinaega, I was embraced by gratitude that I was doing this for a reason.

Until everyone with special needs receives all the love and care that they rightfully deserve:

Cheers,

Emily