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THE JAISOHN CENTER (Philip Jaisohn Memorial Foundation) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting Asian Americans within the Greater Philadelphia Region.
Dr. Philip Jaisohn was a pioneer in Asian American activism as an advocate for Korean independence and a volunteer physician for the U.S. Military. In honor of his legacy, the Jaisohn Center strives to champion Asian American causes and strengthen communities through a wide range of health and human services.
We’re excited to keep you updated on our Center’s mission to elevate Asian American communities and foster unity between different ethnicities. Check out this newsletter to see what work we’ve accomplished with the help of your continued support.
Thank you for joining our cause!
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Jaisohn Medical Center: Dr. Jamie Lee Paik
We are pleased to introduce Dr. Jamie Lee Paik, the newest addition to Jaisohn Medical Center’s team. As of June 2023, Dr. Paik has joined us as an Internal Medicine physician. She has nearly 10 years of primary care experience from Penn Medicine and has received an M.D. from the University of Michigan Medical School, as well as an A.B. from Harvard University. She speaks 3 languages, including Spanish. Welcome, Dr. Paik!
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Jaisohn Home Care Success Story: Chung Hwa Nam
On June 19, 2023, Chung Hwa Nam passed the Personal Care Home Administrator Competency Test administered by Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. Nam has worked in the Jaisohn Center’s Home Care department as a care worker for 10 years. Since joining, she has served Korean senior citizens who reside in the Philip Murray Senior Apartment.
“I like what [the Jaisohn Center] has been doing for our community,” Nam said. “Especially vaccine clinics and social services for those Korean seniors who live in subsidized apartments.”
She explained that to her, “Jaisohn Home Care is not only a homecare agency, but also [a] community services center because they provide all the services that our seniors need, including social service, senior classes, medical and insurance, etc.”
Recently, Nam enrolled her mother as a client in Jaisohn Home Care. “I don’t know my future,” she said, “but I will continue to serve vulnerable Korean seniors with Jaisohn Home Care.”
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Jaisohn Mental Health & Social Service: Janice Shin
We are excited to announce that Janice Shin has officially become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). Shin has worked at the Jaisohn Center as a full-time social worker for many years. After receiving her Master’s in Social Work, Janice has logged over 3,000 clinical hours and passed the LCSW exam in July 2023. Congratulations to Janice, and our sincere gratitude to Sunny Lee Park, LCSW, for serving as Janice Shin’s career adviser. With such a shortage in bilingual and bicultural mental health professionals, we are grateful to be able to serve more AAPI in need of mental health counseling and social services.
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Jaisohn Wellness Center As Montgomery County AAPI Community Senior Center
Plans for the Jaisohn Senior Community Center are now underway! As of May 2023, the Jaisohn Wellness Center (JWC) was officially designated as a Senior Community Center by the Montgomery County Office of Senior Services (MCOSS). The Jaisohn Senior Center will offer culturally competent services such as thoughtfully curated meals, health and wellness, and a variety of educational programs. Unlike any other senior center in the county, JWC was specifically selected to extend outreach to the area’s Asian Pacific American community as a primary target population. The goal of this establishment is to address the gap in senior service for marginalized and vulnerable AAPI elders. The Jaisohn Senior Community Center and the Latino senior program at ACLAMO are the only two institutions in the county that seek to provide care for ethnic senior citizens who have otherwise had limited access to these resources.
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To learn more about our services: | |
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JAISOHN WELLNESS CENTER
1290 Allentown Rd
Landsdale, PA 19446
267-638-9500
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Jaisohn Medical Center 100th Vaccine Clinic | |
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We hosted our 100th COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic on April 15, 2023. This milestone clinic was held at the International Spring Festival at North Penn High School’s Health Fair section.
The Jaisohn Medical Center began its series of vaccination clinics in early 2021. For over two years, Jaisohn staff have worked consistently to promote vaccinations in communities all over the Greater Philadelphia Region, serving all racial groups, faiths, and age demographics. Although there is less public urgency surrounding COVID-19 in 2023, it remains just as necessary to stay updated on vaccines now as it was two years ago.
This achievement would not be possible without the support of the Asian American Coalition for Health and Human Services (AACHHS), the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, the MontCo Immunization Coalition (MCIC), the Philippine Nurses Association of PA, the VNA Foundation of Greater North Penn, the Independence Blue Cross Foundation, the Pennsylvania Immunization Coalition (PAIC), and our other community partners. Contact us at vaccine@jaisohn.org for more information on our COVID-19 vaccine/booster services.
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Philip Jaisohn Memorial Place Grand Reopening
On August 12th, 2023, we held the grand reopening of the Philip Jaisohn Monument in Rose Tree Park. Beginning in late 2022, the Philip Jaisohn Monument Upgrade Project sought to renovate the statue commemorating the many accomplishments of Dr. Philip Jaisohn during his lifetime. The ceremony was held in Media, PA where the upgraded statue as well as the new community picnic area were unveiled. The “Reopening of Philip Jaisohn Monument Place” Resolution was presented to the Jaisohn Center by Delaware County Council Chair Dr. Monica Taylor. Following its reopening, the 2023 Jaisohn Scholarship and Internship Award Ceremony and the delayed Korean American Day Celebration were held at the monument site.
We would like to thank the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs of the Republic of Korea for supporting this project.
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Philip Jaisohn Memorial House Visits | |
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In 2023, the Philip Jaisohn Memorial House in Media, PA has seen a significant increase in visitors. Local tourists from this past spring include Widener University’s East Asian Studies program professor Dr. Yufeng Mao and her history class, staff and students from Gwynedd Mercy University’s Asian Student Association, and Haverford College’s Korean Culture Club. Delaware County Council Chair Dr. Monica Taylor and numerous department staff visited the site in June as well.
This historical location has also received international guests in recent months, including Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation Secretary General Chang Yong Kwak, Director Donghyon Kim, and Senior Manager Ryunyong Kim from South Korea. Also visiting from overseas were members of the Korean Minjok Leadership Academy, which included 85 students and 4 teachers. The influx of visitors to the Philip Jaisohn Memorial House is not only an indication that people from all over are discovering the Philip Jaisohn (Soh, Jai-Pil) legacy, but that younger people especially are becoming more interested in learning about these important topics in Asian American history.
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2023 Philip Jaisohn Award Ceremony
James Joo-Jin Kim received the Philip Jaisohn Award on July 28, 2023. The award ceremony was held at the Presidential Caterers and saw an attendance of nearly 250 people. The Philip Jaisohn Award is the highest distinction presented at the Philip Jaisohn Memorial Foundation.
James Kim is the founder and Executive Chairman of the company Amkor Technology, Inc., one of the world’s largest semiconductor product packing and test service providers. With approximately $7.1 billion in sales in 2022 alone, Kim is regarded as one of the nation’s leading Asian American businessmen. Kim and his wife Agnes also founded Electronics Boutique together in 1977, which merged with GameStop in 2005.
Kim graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and received a B.S. and an M.A. in Economics from the Wharton School of Business. His philanthropic focus promotes educational and health research fields as well as the arts. Kim has made generous gifts to institutions such as the University of Pennsylvania, Temple University, the Philadelphia Museum of Arts (Korean Heritage Group), the Philadelphia Orchestra, charter schools, and the Jaisohn Center’s own Home Health Care business set-up.
We thank those who were able to celebrate this remarkable occasion with us.
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Scholarship and Internship Award Ceremony
The 2023 Jaisohn Scholarship and Internship Award Ceremony was held at Rose Tree Park in Media, PA on August 12th. This year, the Jaisohn Center recognized 12 Scholarship and 4 Internship awards at the high school and collegiate levels. In total, approximately $30,000 were distributed to the recipients to support the financing of their education.
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Jaisohn Service Appreciation Award
On August 12th, 2023, we presented the Jaisohn Service Appreciation Award to Dr. Bang Nam Jeon, a professor at Drexel University. Dr. Jeon has served as a board member at the Philip Jaisohn Memorial Foundation for over 30 years in addition to serving as our Scholarship Committee Chair. He donated $50,000 to establish the new Jaisohn Scholarship Fund.
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Korean American Citizenship Day Celebration | |
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On August 12, 2023, we hosted a belated celebration for Korean American Citizenship Day. Originally on June 19th, this special day commemorates the anniversary of Dr. Philip Jaisohn becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen. 133 years ago, Dr. Jaisohn was the first Korean to ever receive American citizenship. The resolution officially recognizing Korean American Citizenship Day in the Pennsylvania state legislature was presented by PA State Senators Tim Kearney (Chief of Staff Sara McCullough) and Art Haywood, PA State House Representatives Steven Malagari and Jennifer O’Mara, and Delaware County Council Chair Dr. Monica Taylor. We thank all who were able to celebrate this important event in our community!
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4th Philip Jaisohn National Creative Art Contest
Congratulations to the winners of the 2023 Philip Jaisohn National Creative Art Contest!
Each year, this contest encourages 3rd-12th grade students to examine Dr. Philip Jaisohn’s contributions to the Korean American legacy. Students are prompted to integrate creativity, education, and AAPI history into their works. This year, a total of 23 students and 3 schools received awards and recognition.
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2023 NAM-PA Internship
The 2023 New American Majority-PA (NAM-PA) Internship has concluded as of July 28th. The Jaisohn Center, Esperanza, and the office of Senator Art Haywood collaborated to create NAM-PA, a 6-week program that recruits 9 college students of African American, Latino, and Asian descent. Esperanza is a faith-based, nonprofit organization that serves the Latin American community in Philadelphia, and Senator Art Haywood represents the 4th District of Philadelphia. The Jaisohn Medical Center hosted 3 of these students from June to July.
In 2023, the collective racial minority in the U.S. is steadily becoming the racial majority - and this growth is only projected to increase with time. Hence “New American Majority”, NAM-PA is designed to develop leaders who can take charge of the rapidly changing future. The internship program hosted group field trips to notable locations such as the Pennsylvania Capitol in Harrisburg, the Business Corridor, and the Faith and Liberty Discovery Center. Each of the Jaisohn Center’s 3 interns received a $3,000 scholarship for their work in order to further their undergraduate studies.
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Jaisohn Summer Internship Program
The 2023 Jaisohn Internships have officially begun! Every year, we offer several internship opportunities for high school, college, and graduate students at the Jaisohn Center. These positions range from 4 to 7 weeks and conclude in August. The offered internship areas include Healthcare and Healthcare Management, Journalism and Communication, Marketing and Graphic/Website/Social Media Design, and Political Science and History. These positions provide an opportunity for students to get a hands-on understanding of our mission at the Jaisohn Center, learn from the diverse and seasoned staff, and gain experience in a real workplace environment. This year, our interns were able to attend a weekly “Lunch and Learn”, where they learned about different career fields from a physician, accountant, policy researcher, occupational therapist, nurse, and licensed clinical social worker.
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Jaisohn Youth Leadership Program
On July 20th, 2023, we launched our Youth Leadership Program for rising 10th-12th grade students. This series of 4 workshops was led by Nancy Walsh, owner and founder of the professional and program development LLC tbdNOW. Members of our Jaisohn Youth Academy embarked on this weekly program in order to train their leadership abilities after the example of Dr. Philip Jaisohn. Through these workshops, participants were able to build connections with other students and acquire skills and tools that will aid them as they prepare for higher education.
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2023 Jaisohn Gala
On November 4th, 2023, we will host our annual Jaisohn Gala at the Presidential Caterers in Norristown, PA. The Jaisohn Gala is a fundraising banquet where attendees will have the opportunity to donate to our foundation as well as meet and interact with fellow supporters of our cause. Email us at info@jaisohn.org if you are interested in joining.
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The Jaisohn Center's work would not be possible without the generosity of our partners: | | | | |
