Englewood Herald > News
Korean orphanage staff visits House of Hope
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| Keith Singer, left, program director at the House of Hope Family Resource Center, explains facility operations to visitors including, left to right, Wendy Curry, Jennifer Woeste and David Kyungmin Lee, director of a Korean orphanage. Curry helped arrange for Lee and three others from the orphanage to visit the House of Hope to see how the Englewood facilities deal with issues common to both organizations. Photo by Tom Munds |
By Tom Munds
Visitors from half a world away dropped in at the House of Hope Family Resource Center to compare notes on how the two organizations handle similar issues.
The House of Hope provides shelter, food and case management to single mothers and their children. It is an agency of Family Tree, the organization providing a broad range of services and shelter to families and youth in metro Denver.
The visitors were from Jin-Hae Hinang (Hopeful) Children’s Home, a Korean orphanage that houses, feeds and cares for 66 children ranging in age from infancy to college age.
David Kyungmin Lee, director of the Hopeful Home, headed the group of four Koreans who visited the Englewood family resource center.
Keith Singer, House of Hope program director, and Jennifer Schiel, activities director, greeted the visitors and took them on a tour of the facilities.
“This is a valuable visit for us,” Lee said. “We see that the job we do and the job the House of Hope does frequently deals with the same issues. We are exchanging ideas and I hope our Hope House will be able to use some of the ideas I get here.”
He said common issues include providing shelter, meals and encouragement to children plus making sure they get an education. Lee said both facilities also face the issue of broken families and all the circumstances surrounding the break up.
He smiled and said it is also nice to come to a facility doing the same work have the work hope in their names.
The Korean visitors included JaeYong Kim and Mingi Ahm who lived a Hope House and Park Gwiyeon who is Lee’s assistant.
JaeYong has lived in the Hope House since he was 7. Now 22, he has earned his college degree in environmental engineering and is continuing his education as he works on a master’s degree in international trade.
He said, through Lee, that he was impressed with the House of Hope facility. He noted the program was systematic and better organized the Hope House and he liked what he saw.
Bringing the Koreans to visit an agency doing the same work half a world away in Englewood was a result of the effort of David and Wendy Curry.
Wendy was born in Korea, orphaned by the Korean War and came to live at the Hope House that is located near Pusan, South Korea. She was 3 years old when she was adopted by an Oregon couple and brought to the United States.
She said she never forgot the kindness and loving care she received at the Hope House and so she and her husband began to work to help the orphanage by seeking people to sponsor children in the Hope House Orphanage.
David explained the orphanage is supported by the Kyungsin Social Welfare Foundation. The foundation is a government agency that provides funds to cover most of the operating expenses for the orphanage that currently houses 66 children ranging in age from newborns to college age.
The sponsor sends $20 a month to the orphanage. Half the money goes into a savings account for the child and the other half provides the child a little spending money.
In return, the child becomes a pen pal with the sponsor and hope is the two will develop a personal relationship.
Wendy said when she knew the group was coming to Denver from Hope House, she wanted to have them visit a facility that did the same sort of work.
“I live in this neighborhood and drive by House of Hope often,” she said. “then, a social worker talked about what they do here and it seemed like a good place for the group to tour since both facilities deal with broken families.”
The House of Hope provides shelter, food and case management to single mothers and their children. It is an agency of Family Tree, the organization providing a broad range of services and shelter to families and youth in metro Denver.
The visitors were from Jin-Hae Hinang (Hopeful) Children’s Home, a Korean orphanage that houses, feeds and cares for 66 children ranging in age from infancy to college age.
David Kyungmin Lee, director of the Hopeful Home, headed the group of four Koreans who visited the Englewood family resource center.
Keith Singer, House of Hope program director, and Jennifer Schiel, activities director, greeted the visitors and took them on a tour of the facilities.
“This is a valuable visit for us,” Lee said. “We see that the job we do and the job the House of Hope does frequently deals with the same issues. We are exchanging ideas and I hope our Hope House will be able to use some of the ideas I get here.”
He said common issues include providing shelter, meals and encouragement to children plus making sure they get an education. Lee said both facilities also face the issue of broken families and all the circumstances surrounding the break up.
He smiled and said it is also nice to come to a facility doing the same work have the work hope in their names.
The Korean visitors included JaeYong Kim and Mingi Ahm who lived a Hope House and Park Gwiyeon who is Lee’s assistant.
JaeYong has lived in the Hope House since he was 7. Now 22, he has earned his college degree in environmental engineering and is continuing his education as he works on a master’s degree in international trade.
He said, through Lee, that he was impressed with the House of Hope facility. He noted the program was systematic and better organized the Hope House and he liked what he saw.
Bringing the Koreans to visit an agency doing the same work half a world away in Englewood was a result of the effort of David and Wendy Curry.
Wendy was born in Korea, orphaned by the Korean War and came to live at the Hope House that is located near Pusan, South Korea. She was 3 years old when she was adopted by an Oregon couple and brought to the United States.
She said she never forgot the kindness and loving care she received at the Hope House and so she and her husband began to work to help the orphanage by seeking people to sponsor children in the Hope House Orphanage.
David explained the orphanage is supported by the Kyungsin Social Welfare Foundation. The foundation is a government agency that provides funds to cover most of the operating expenses for the orphanage that currently houses 66 children ranging in age from newborns to college age.
The sponsor sends $20 a month to the orphanage. Half the money goes into a savings account for the child and the other half provides the child a little spending money.
In return, the child becomes a pen pal with the sponsor and hope is the two will develop a personal relationship.
Wendy said when she knew the group was coming to Denver from Hope House, she wanted to have them visit a facility that did the same sort of work.
“I live in this neighborhood and drive by House of Hope often,” she said. “then, a social worker talked about what they do here and it seemed like a good place for the group to tour since both facilities deal with broken families.”
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