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"One
Dollar for Neighbors" Campaign
From JoongAng
Dec 2, 2002
By Lee JoonWhan
To support and promote social services in the Korean community,
the "One Dollar for Neighbors" campaign is now being widely
publicized.
This "One-dollar for Neighbors" campaign was initiated
by the Korean Consulate General in last April. In the program, each
individual saves a dollar a day, 30 dollars a month and donates
the funds to Korean community service groups such as Korean language
schools, youth and family counseling centers, and centers for the
elderly or disabled. Sponsors can choose where to contribute their
funds. The purpose is to enhance service communities financial
independence and help them to get federal support or state funding
by helping them to provide substantial programs.
Cho WonIl, the head of the campaign, said, "This campaign
is initiated in order to develop a pattern of helping members of
our Korean community and to help Korean-Americans gain more visibility
in the American mainstream." He added, "Contributing one
dollar a day may seem inconsequential, but if you look at the grander
scheme of things, one dollar a day can be monumental. If 10,000
people contribute, it will turn into $10,000 a day." And "It
will give more strength to our community services which are trying
to provide better community activities and also it will contribute
to form strong ties among Koreans."
So far, there are a hundred members in the "One-Dollar for
Neighbors" campaign. They include second generation immigrants
and other ethnic group association members. They had a meeting on
December 4th at the office of the General Consulate of
the Republic of Korea, and initiated the Korean American Coalition
for Full Participation, which makes major decisions concerning managing
membership and administering funding.
The coalition will consist of ten Korean immigrants, five from
the first generation and five from the one-half and second generations.
It will take charge of public relations to gather around 1,000 sponsors
and members, initiate regulations and appoint a director to be registered
as a non-profit organization in New York State.
Translated from Korean by JooYeon Lee
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