[Ypsilanti=MiAsian] Tack-yong Kim = Washtenaw International School students hosted a Korean Dinner to raise funds to help defected North Korean kids in South Korea.
It sounds unusual that a five year old school became interested in a North Korean issue. The question is answered when you learn about John Park, who started a site called Everyone’s Free four years ago when he was a student at this school. He then was passionate about helping North Korean kids in Kumkang School in Seoul and in 2015 he visited the school to deliver a scholarship fund.
During this Spring break from Pomona College, John Park returned to his old high school to attend this dinner and was amazed to see his legacy is continuing. The baton has passed to Jessica Doernte, the current president of the chapter.
She had been a student with a great deal of curiosity about international affairs before she was influenced by John Park. In the chapter, she is supported by 20 friends and a supervisor, Joslyn Young-Hunscher. The teacher believes that this project is helping the students to grow to be world citizens and it is also very important to teach kids there are innocent people and kids suffering beyond all the negative news about North Korea.
After John changed the everyone’sfree website to bluebirdnk.com in order to make it more significant, there has been ongoing relationship with his successors.  John said, “We found that the bluebird was a common symbol of happiness… We think that the name, Bluebird NK reflects our earnest desire to help North Korean defectors find happiness in their new lives.”
There were about 300 supporters at the event to share the meaningful goal of the chapter along with live entertainment and Korean cuisine donated by generous local Korean restaurants.

Author: MI Asian Staff