To bring warmth and companionship to seniors without loved ones nearby, sophomore Kailey Yoon spearheaded a Lunar New Year celebration at the Korean American Dementia Center as a lead volunteer with the Irvine Korean Parents Association Volunteer Committee.
“[The Lunar New Year celebration] serves as a really important reminder of our heritage as Koreans,” Yoon said. “It’s not always recognized in the U.S. like other ethnic celebrations, but it’s good to remember that celebrations like Lunar New Year are times to be happy and rejoice with other people.”
Eleven seniors participated in the celebration on Feb. 21, which was filled with food and a wide range of engaging activities, including traditional norigae origami crafts, light exercise sessions, bingo, traditional Korean music, dance performances, karaoke and Yutnori (a Korean board game). Yoon and other volunteers donned traditional hanbok and distributed hand-decorated tteok (rice cake) gift boxes as Lunar New Year blessings.
“My favorite moment was seeing everyone’s reactions to the traditional Korean stuff, such as the outfits we were wearing,” Yoon said. “It was very joyful, and the food and the activities really helped reinforce that atmosphere. When we were making the origami, like the traditional Lunar New Year dreamcatcher, one of the [senior citizens] was so excited and smiling. She even posed for the pictures.”
The smiles that filled the celebration made Yoon’s efforts—and the challenges she faced—worthwhile. Having only joined IKPAVC two years ago after being introduced to the organization by her friends, Yoon had not organized an event at this scale before.
“[Volunteering] helps me see all the good moments and helps me persevere through any challenging or more difficult moments as well,” Yoon said. “I learned that different people have very different ways of learning, so we have to adapt to that. But also that when you’re showing that you’re engaged in the activity yourself, then it encourages other people to do so as well.”
Yoon continues to share her passion for building connections by sharing IKPAVC’s work on social media and teaching other volunteers to engage with seniors through cognitive exercises and fun activities like dancing, singing and karaoke. Her dedication has helped IKPAVC significantly expand their volunteer base.
Yoon’s next volunteer event with IKPAVC’s First Lego League Outreach will be a hands-on robotics workshop for students of all ages. Those interested in participating can visit @technodream50881 on Instagram for more information.
