by Kay Kim, editor in chief
Korean American Family Service Center (KAFSC) held its 27th annual benefit gala. It was held at Cipriani on Friday, May 20th.
Emcee, Vivian Lee, from NY1, introduced speakers and made announcements throughout the night.
Guests participated in live auctions that were led by Kelly Tsai, a spoken word artist. They also partook in silent auctions, which were done through texting. Some of the auctions included a meet and greet with Derek Jeter, dinner with Vivian Lee, accessories, bags, etc…
Raffle tickets were on sale for chances to win various gifts, such as a Rolex watch, two round-trip tickets to anywhere in the country, and many more.
“I’m in a program called YCPT [Youth Community Project Team]. I helped out with selling the raffle tickets to those who attended the gala. I was very nervous and irritated at first because there was so much commotion and I was going to have to talk to people I didn’t know,” YCPT member/freshman Leah Leem said.
Through the benefit gala, KAFSC raises 30% of its annual budget. The funds cover the expenses of its self-sufficiency programs, counseling, hotline, women’s shelter, transitional housing, Hodori After-school, Youth Community Project Team, and other community outreach efforts.
“I had prepared myself 10 years prior to starting this agency for my passion to care for the underprivileged. Now so many people are working together for [the] same cause. How can I stop?” KAFSC founder Kwanghee Kim said.
