An independent physician network Seoul Medical Group (SMG), health systems innovator Ascend Partners (Ascend), and the Korean American Community Foundation (KACF) are partnering to fund two Korean American nonprofit organizations, Koreatown Senior and Community Center and Somang Society.
Founded in Los Angeles more than 30 years ago, SMG has become one of the nation’s leading providers of high-quality healthcare to Asian Americans across the country, and since partnering with Ascend in 2023, the company has launched programs to support under-resourced community members.
The donation will be distributed to selected organizations through KACF. The foundation is a nonprofit organization working to spread a culture of giving and sharing within the Korean American community nationwide. “We will guide the donations according to the purpose of the donation so that we can give back to the community’s needs,” said Kyungbok Yoon, president of KACF.
The Senior Center and Somang Society will use the donation in a variety of areas from the second half of this year to the first half of next year. The Senior Center’s 2025 Mother’s and Father’s Day celebration, which provides cultural and educational community activities for Korean American seniors, as well as Somang Society’s “Well Aging” initiative, which has introduced Asian American Alzheimer’s and dementia prevention and action programs since 2007, will be funded from the donation.
The support is part of SMG’s and Ascend’s social responsibility to encourage social contribution activities, as the Senior Center and Somang Society have made significant contributions to supporting Korean American seniors.
SMG and Ascend continue to support the organization and strive to help more Korean-American seniors lead happier lives. “As a child of immigrants, I have seen firsthand the hard work, dedication, and sacrifices my parents made for future generations,“ said Myong Lee, CEO of Seoul Medical Group. “We are pleased to be able to support organizations like the Koreatown Senior Center and Somang Society, just as they took care of my parents’ generation and the underprivileged,” he added.
The Senior Center and Somang Society expressed their gratitude for the support of SMG and Ascend and pledged to continue to strive for the growth of the Korean American community. Seoul Medical Group and Ascend said they will continue to support the program to benefit more underprivileged people, giving hope and courage to the community and many seniors.
BY HOONSIK WOO [woo.hoonsik@koreadaily.com]
