Habit of Service Goes Back to Girlhood

As a girl in Korea, Wendy Yoo planted trees on once-verdant mountains that had been stripped bare by soldiers.

She was a Morning Star, a member of an elite girls’ club at a missionary school whose members were assigned special tasks each season. In winter, they swept snow off the school grounds. In spring, they planted trees. In summer, they traveled to the countryside to teach farmers how to read; and in fall, they returned to the mountains to replant the seedlings.

Yoo, now 51 and living in Mission Viejo, formed an early commitment to serve. Now, as director of Korean-American relations at the Garden Grove Medical Center, she has endless opportunities in a city with more than 5,000 Koreans.

“What I like most about my job is helping others,” she said. “Even immigrants who have been here 20 years have many questions and need help.”

Yoo interprets for doctors and patients, translates, mediates conflicts and organizes free health fairs for the largest Korean population in the county.

Despite her full-time job, she volunteers as director of the Korean-American Information Referral and Education Center, which assists newcomers.

Ten years ago, that group “was just a social gathering,” Yoo said. “But now we try to protect Koreans, and to help them adjust to the U.S. There is so much to teach: health issues, how to deal with the government, and social service agencies.”

After realizing that many immigrants were confused by the same issues--how to file tax forms, how to apply for Social Security--she created a newsletter to answer their most frequent questions.

“Health education is also very important,” she said. “We had seminars on cancer education, heart disease and breast cancer. Many Korean parents worry about making money, and providing education for their children, and do not always take good care of their health.”

Yoo said she also wants to help Korean immigrants achieve their potential. Last March, she arranged for the South Coast Repertory outreach program to teach young Korean performers.

“Asian kids are so shy,” she said. “I invited the program into the Korean community so the children could learn new ways to express themselves. My own children belonged to the Long Beach International Children’s Chorus. They learned how to harmonize with others.”

Yoo also has been a member of the Orange County Commission on the Status of Women. In the Korean-American community, she said, women lag behind their peers because Asian “culture, Confucianism, is hierarchical. . . . Many (men) feel like women are their property.”

Two years ago, Yoo created the Women’s Chorus, a chance for women to expand their talents and make friends. The 50-member group now performs at community events.

“Many of the women are in their 50s and their children have grown up,” she said. “They feel a little lost. Or depressed. But they feel better after they express themselves. The more you create, the more enrichment there is in your life.”