CONTINUED RELIEF AFTER TROPICAL STORM FIONA

CONTINUED RELIEF AFTER TROPICAL STORM FIONA

February 2023

The Korean Foundation of Puerto Rico continues to support families and individuals affected by Tropical Storm Fiona. We are building and fixing roofs, offering basic necessities and other support necessary.

Email us if you known of a case that could benefit from our support.

EMERGENCY RELIEF AFTER HURRICANE FIONA

Hurricane Fiona relief efforts

We naturally had to get involved with the devastation caused by Fiona. We recently traveled south of the island to visit some families directly affected. While we all have seen images, seeing it in person takes another dimension. Houses have been flooded; some have no roofs; people have lost their belongings; and there was still no electricity a week after Fiona hit the island. These tragic conditions of course affect vulnerable people even more. We met a single mom with 3 children, two of them diabetic, who has lost her house and is being moved to a public housing facility but does not even have mattresses and blankets. We met another family whose grandmother died during the hurricane, the mother is single with 2 kids and does not have the resources for the funeral, and the uncle is a stage 3 cancer patient who needs an oxygen machine. We are a grassroots organization and believe in stepping in and helping highly vulnerable for people in dire situations who have not yet been helped by other relief efforts, and we will be contributing both funding, basic necessities, and equipment to a number of Puerto Ricans families in despair.

Helping out with the Ukraine refugees’ crisis

Helping out with the Ukraine refugees’ crisis

The Ukraine war presented us with yet another incredibly tragic situation which we could not be indifferent even though it is far from Puerto Rico. We had the opportunity to learn about an amazing project to extract vulnerable Ukrainians from war zones to bring them to safety in Poland. This is led on the ground by two incredible men who served in the British Army and bring the knowhow and experience to organize what are effectively special operations. Here is more about Project Apollo: https://projectapollo.org.uk/. KFPR was able to help raise a significant amount of money at a charity event for this remarkable initiative.

MAKING IAN’S PARAOLYMPIC DREAMS A REALITY

MAKING IAN’S PARAOLYMPIC DREAMS A REALITY

May 2022

Ian is a wonderful 16-year-old Puerto Rican boy who was born with Cerebral Palsy. Despite his significant life challenges, Ian is an athlete and has embraced Prone paddleboarding and surfing. Challenging himself at competitive levels has helped him grow physically and mentally. His dream is to represent Puerto Rico at the upcoming Paralympic games in surfing.

KFPR decided to support Ian with his preparation and to make his dream a reality because we believe in changing people’s lives one at a time. Ian is a role model of the commitment to make the impossible true if you believe.

ESSENTIAL BAGS

ESSENTIAL BAGS

December 2020

KFPR organized the delivery of over 200 bags containing essential necessities (rice, canned food, sweets, toilet paper, masks, and hand sanitizer) to Puerto Ricans who had fallen on hard times due to the COVID-19 lockdowns.

Special thanks to all who volunteered including Saint John’s School and TASIS school students.

SUPPORTING CASSANDRA

SUPPORTING CASSANDRA

June 20, 2020

As a continuation of our support to a few families with disabled children affected by the earthquakes, a number of volunteers traveled on June 20 to visit Cassandra in her new home. Cassandra is wonderful 20 year lady who was born with hydrocephalus and is wheelchair bound. When we first met her and her mother in March, she was living in her earthquake refugee center and her wheelchair was not working. It was heartwarming to see Cassandra now living in a proper home with her parents. Thanks to our help, they were able to repair the electric wheelchair. Seeing Cassandra’s smile was incredibly rewarding. We will continue to be involved with her and her family and hope we can help her go back to college.

Feeding homeless people during Covid Lockdowns May 2020

Feeding the Homeless May 2020

During the Covid-19 lockdown, homeless people have been particularly affected because they lost access to their usual places for services. In May, KFPR teamed up with Mar Azul, a church organization, to prepare more than 200 meal boxes which we then distributed to homeless people on the streets of San Juan. KFPR not only bought the food but also made a financial contribution to future meals for the homeless. A special thanks to Dr. Jonathan Torres who is a member of Mar Azul and has supplemented the Church initiative which takes place twice a week by raising money from families and friends to feed the homeless by himself the other days of the week.

SUPPORTING THE VULNERABLE ELDERLY POPULATION

SUPPORTING THE VULNERABLE ELDERLY POPULATION

May 10, 2020

KFPR volunteers spent Mother’s Day to preparing 500 meals which were donated and distributed to 500 vulnerable elderly in 4 communities: Payita in Santurce, Buena Vista in Hato Rey, and Buen Consejo and Hill Brothers Sur in Rio Pedras.

KFPR , along with another donor, sponsored the cost of the food. A big thanks to Plato Restaurant who opened its doors and prepared the meals for this special event.

Puerto Rico Earthquake Relief February – Present

Puerto Rico Earthquake Relief

In the wake of the earthquakes early this year, KFPR stepped in to help a few families who faced particularly tragic circumstances having lost access to their home while having to take care of children with disabilities. A KFPR team of volunteers made several trips to visit these families, understand their situation, comfort them, and support them financially as well as providing them first necessity goods. A special thanks to Saint John's School who contributed items collected through a food drive.

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FREE DENTAL EXAMS

FREE DENTAL EXAMS

June 12, 2019

On June 12, 2019, a team of dentists from the Atlanta Korean Association and Church, arrived in Puerto Rico to provide free dental exams to the local community of Puerto Ricans who don’t have insurance plans. They were part of a 30+ person team that spent a week in Lares providing free medical, dental and construction help to those in the area. The event took place at the offices of Dr. Wanda Ortiz at the Popular Center in Hato Rey. Dr. Ortiz donated her facilities, staff and time to support the event and we thank her and her staff for being such generous hosts!