The day was a grand success and we couldn't be happier with the turn out. Over 550 were in attendance! We want to thank everyone who came out and celebrated with us. It was such a pleasure to see everyone. We would also like to give a special thanks to all of you who helped to make this event happen, including the volunteers and performers. And last but not least we want to extend our gratitude to our special guests from Korea, Dr Kim Jin Sook, president of Eastern Social Welfare Society(ESWS); Park Boon Ja and Yang Keum Soon, foster mothers who have been caring for children for many years; and Lee Hwa Sun, social worker for ESWS.
For those of you who were unable to make it, here is a glimpse of the day.......
The day started with a bang. Han Sori Korean Drumming group kicked off the festivities with traditional a Gilnori.
Later Grace Kim performed another type of traditional Korean drumming
Following the drum performances, parents and children were able to try the drums themselves. The kids loved this hands on experience!
The students of Christina Yeh Dance Co. were beautiful and graceful. Everyone enjoyed the traditional Chinese dance performances done by these talented young ladies.
After the performance, Christina Yeh offered the children in the audience a chance to give traditional ribbon dancing for a try.
Longmont Martial Arts acadamy showed us their Taikwondo skills.
Xiao Han Emily Wang from the Confucius Institute of Colorado State University gave an enchanting vocal performance in Chinese.
The caricature artist offered something for the families to take home that would serve as a adorable reminder of this fun filled day.
Face painting was a fan favorite, as always.
Cultural activities, including Korean calligraphy and Chinese paper cutting, were offered by Korean American community and The Confucius Institute of CSU.
The park itself offered a plethora of fun.
And we can't forget about the food! With 6 stations throughout the park, featuring Chinese, Korean, and American food there was something for everyone.
Our Bi-Annual Far East Market was available and was a cultural shoppers delight!
The attendance of Dr. Kim Jin Sook, Park Boon Ja,Yang Keum Soon, and Lee Hwa Sun was an honor and everyone enjoyed their company.
Dr. Kim was looking beautiful as always.
She and her husband enjoyed watching the performances and meeting with families.
The foster mothers and social worker were very excited to be visiting....
and even more thrilled to be reuniting with some of the children who they love and cared for.
We feel honored to have caught this joyous, heartfelt, moment on camera. These foster mothers make a life long impact on the lives of the children they nurture. And I think each and every AAC family who has adopted from Korea will agree when I say, we are blessed to have them!
It truly warmed our hearts to see all of you! It was particularly nice to see how much all of the little ones have grown and flourished with the love and care of their forever families, like these sweet faces.....
On Saturday, we didn't just celebrate 20 years of work...we celebrated THIS.............
FAMILY!
Thank you for sharing these pictures from the picnic! I hope one day to be able to attend with my children. It looks like a lot of fun activities were going on! I enjoyed reading this blog, especially the end...it is all about FAMILY! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteRachelle
Nebraska