Michelle Rhee, Chancellor of the D.C. Public School System, will be the keynote speaker at the 33rd Annual Fundraising Banquet of the Korean Community Service Center of Greater Washington (KCSC).

            KCSC Chairman Ki Young Kim said, in making the announcement, “We are very pleased to have her as our keynote speaker. Well known for her passion, vision, and intelligence, Ms Rhee’s presentation is certain to be inspiring and energizing.”

            The banquet will take place on October 14, 2007 at the Sheraton Premier, Tysons Corner. The theme for the evening will be “Interaction with People and Community.”          

Established in 1974, KCSC has grown to be the largest bi-lingual and bi-cultural professional social service agency serving a population of 250,000 Korean Americans and new immigrants in the Greater Metro D.C. Area.

Its programs include: 1) Social Services; 2) Health Services; 3) Family Enrichment Services, and 4) Immigrant Empowerment Services. In its news release, KCSC noted it continues to work diligently to provide quality services that meet the challenges of a growing and evolving community.

It added: “The tragedy that occurred at Virginia Tech earlier this year has only furthered our resolve to redouble our efforts to provide quality mental health outreach and counseling services for our community.”

            It cited the case of Mrs. Hope Lim as an example of previous year’s accomplishments. Mrs. Lim was in her 70s when she first walked in to the KAMMSA Clinic. She was ineligible for health insurance or any public assistance due to her illegal resident status. Until she visited the clinic, she had never received any medical treatment for her known hypertension and glaucoma problems.

            In addition to health care, a home visit revealed she had multiple medical problems including high blood pressure and glaucoma. The caseworker successfully convinced the County Department of Human Health and Services to approve her admission to a local nursing home, for the necessary medical attention. Currently, Mrs.Lim is under good care at a nursing home.