[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 137 (Wednesday, November 12, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1552-E1553]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           RECOGNIZING NETKAL AND KOREAN AMERICAN SERVICE DAY

                                  _____
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 12, 2014

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to applaud the efforts of 
a group of Korean-American leaders in the United States as they 
successfully launched the first Korean-American Service Day, (``KA 
Service Day'') on Saturday, November 8, 2014, with hundreds of 
volunteers participating in various events held in New York, Atlanta, 
Washington DC, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
  KA Service Day was conceived by the Network of Korean-American 
Leaders (NetKAL), a leadership program organized by the Center for 
Asian-Pacific Leadership at the University of Southern California for 
the purpose of incubating the next generation of Korean-American 
leaders. In 2014, the eighth class of leadership fellows convened in 
New York City over the course of six months and, as in years past, was 
challenged to come up with a community service project with far-
reaching impact. The creation of ``Korean-American Service Day'' was an 
idea put forth by the 2014 class of NetKAL fellows.
  The five-city service day aimed to encourage Korean-Americans across 
the nation to give back to their local communities. Some of the 
volunteer opportunities ranged from food pantries and meal programs to 
outdoor restoration projects. They partnered with non-profit 
organizations, such as City Harvest to distribute fresh produce in the 
South Bronx neighborhood of my congressional district in New York City. 
From sorting donations to the Downtown Women's Center in Los Angeles 
and planting trees in a community greenspace in Atlanta, volunteers on 
KA Service Day demonstrated their collective will and power to become 
positive agents of change in our society. I hope that the huge success 
of the inaugural KA Service Day will inspire thousands of dedicated 
volunteers to help grow it into one of the largest days of service in 
America.
  As a Korean War veteran, I have been proud to witness the Korean 
community flourish across our nation. Since 1903, when they first came 
to America, Korean immigrants have played a vital role in shaping our 
society through their strong family ties and hard work. They have 
inspired us with their entrepreneurialism and perseverance toward 
building success and wealth for their families and communities. As a 
Congressman representing the communities in the New York metropolitan 
area I have been greatly impressed by the tremendous contributions made 
by half-a-million Korean Americans and 1,000 professional, educational, 
religious, and trade organizations, as they play a vital role in the 
Great City of New York. I am grateful to them and the members of NetKAL 
for their leadership in making a positive impact on our society.

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