Ji Su Yun returned home after graduating from Brandeis University with one primary purpose: to make a difference. Raised in Northeast Philadelphia after emigrating from Korea with her family when she was 8 years old, Ji Su became a family-oriented, faithful young woman dedicated to community service.
An AmeriCorps position at Greater Philadelphia Cares offered Ji Su both a natural way to give back and to mobilize others to contribute to her home town.
During her year of service, Ji Su created, filled, and managed more than 100 volunteer projects addressing critical social educational and environmental needs of North and Northeast Philadelphia. Ji Su worked with a variety of social service organizations and civic groups to match needs with volunteers with a desire to address them.
Staff at Greater Philadelphia Cares and its partner schools and nonprofit agencies find Ji Su an invaluable part of achieving their missions as well as a joy to be around. Because of Ji Su's efforts, nearly 800 volunteers gave 2,400 hours in a variety of projects, from packing food boxes for hungry families, to teaching children how to read, to helping immigrants adjust to life in the U.S, to name a few.
These numbers do not speak to the brilliance Ji Su continues to bring to the development of educational programs, which benefit both the volunteers and the children or people being served, empowering all to get involved and be part of serious community change. High quality lessons and her gentle, persistent cultivation of community leaders has resulted in high-impact projects that get students excited and knowledgeable about science, civics, and health.
One of the biggest surprises Ji Su encountered through her AmeriCorps experience was the overwhelming response to request for volunteers. “People from all kinds of backgrounds, walks of life, ages, and races have such a willing spirit to help. The projects fill up each and every day. All of these people want to make a change in the world.” |