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Federal Way Citizen of the Month: Jerry Korum BY RAECHEL DAWSON rdawson@federalwaymirror.com
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ederal Way resident Jerry Korum is one of the most selfless people Patrick Godfrey knows. When Korum isn’t helping out with the Puyallup Fair, giving endowments to children with learning disabilities through his Korum for Kids Foundation, or working at his business Korum Auto Dealership, he’s helping teach a class at Pierce College, working with the Federal Way school system or being a force in his wife of 46 years recovery as she battles stage four lung cancer. “Jerry does many personal things that indicate the size of his heart,” Godfrey said, who nominated Korum for the Mirror’s May Citizen of the Month. “When Great American RV collapsed a few years ago from our economic
Advancing Leadership Youth 2014 class graduates FROM STAFF REPORTS
The 2014 Advancing Leadership Youth class recently celebrated the completion of their nine-month program with a graduation ceremony hosted by Grace Church in Federal Way.
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the increase.] We added some odds and ends and other things as we went along,” he said. “What [the Council] wanted was something people could be proud of. They didn’t want to do a cheap park, they wanted a decent park.” Miller added that the regional market for construction/development has been on an uptick of late too, which likely added to the increased costs. The
downturn, Jerry was right serves many residents from there asking their president all over the south end, has to come to work for him.” allowed him to channel Korum and his family profits toward something have lived in Federal Way worthwhile — the Korum since 1971. Before for Kids Foundathat, the Washingtion. ton native lived in Korum and his Great Falls, Mont. wife founded the working at a flour nonprofit in 1994 mill. But he soon and give a substanreturned to start tial amount of funds selling cars in 1963 through endowJerry Korum with his father, ments and scholarwho was a Dodge ships to families dealer in Puyallup. each year from the Five years later, Korum company’s proceeds as well found himself 25 years as their Northwest real old and the youngest Ford estate holdings. dealer in the United States. “It all started because of “I had the opportunity my daughter Sonja, she had to buy in at 10 percent for learning disabilities,” he a five-year buyout,” Korum said. “She had dyslexia and said. “… I’ve been a Ford spatial difficulties growdealer now for 46 years ing up so she had a very and, as far as a career, that’s difficult time learning in just been the love of my school.” life.” Korum and his wife Korum said the sucGermaine have also used cess of his business, which their foundation to give is based in Puyallup but scholarships through the
Washington State Fair Foundation. While on the board for 10 years, Korum has been president but currently acts as the chairman of the land and acquisition and the sponsorship committees. “It’s one of the finest organizations that Washington offers as far as bringing our youth through,” Korum said. “We have a traveling farm [that we] bring to kids all through the state of Washington. It shows them how radishes and beets and corn come out of the garden and explains what a garden is and so forth. “Most of these kids, you ask them where corn come from or potatoes and they say ‘Safeway,” he said. Korum’s philanthropy isn’t just limited to Washington. Godfrey said Korum honors veterans by building a special custom Ford Mustang that tours the
This year’s graduates are: Emmett Butler, Emily Huynh, Alyssa Leon-Guerrero, Tyler Lum, Mary Lou Paule, Nadia Shibly from Decatur High School; James Black, Jack Bull, Aminata Dolo, Jenesis Garcia, Mohit Sharma, Carolynn Tiweyang from Federal Way High School; Lizette Carpenter, Nahom Yonas from Federal Way Public Academy; Emily Storvick from Fife High School; Cassie Neu from Internet Academy; Justin Kim,
Allen Lunde, Lorres Kwan, Autumn Miller, Blake Null, Joseph Park from Thomas Jefferson High School; Carlos Castro, Lily Do, Daisja Flavors, Christina Marshall, Maddie Rogers, Laura Taitano from Todd Beamer High School; Dinh Chung, Kevin Villalobos-Gomez from Career Academy at Truman. Advancing Leadership Youth, which began in 2004, has been successful in introducing local high school
students from highly diverse backgrounds to the components of a healthy community. Participants meet and learn from over 100 local leaders as they develop their own leadership skills over the course of a school year. Students then put their knowledge into practice by planning and implementing a community service project. This year’s class used their service project to inspire over 75 seventh and eighth grade students to take
interim parks director also noted the city and Council are feeling the need to show something coming from the numerous discussions about the downtown core in recent years. “I think when things haven’t happened in six or seven years, they wanted their vision of the site as a gathering place, where the Farmers Market could go, the community could go, [to become a reality],” he said. The Council shared the
same sentiment during the May 20 meeting. Councilman Bob Celski said the park project could be a “priming of the pump” for the downtown area, while Councilwoman Dini Duclos said this park was “the first step of trying do something for our downtown,” and that she was “very excited about that.” Mayor Jim Ferrell said
the new park marks a historic moment for Federal Way. “For the first time in our city’s history, we will have a park in our downtown, a place to drive to, not just drive through,” he wrote in an email. “It will be a place where we can gather as a community, a place for families to play, and a park we can all be proud of.”
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May 30, 2014 [9]
of a focus for Federal Way, plus we like to think we are the Ford dealer for Federal Way,” he said. “We want to be good to Federal Way in country, acknowledging a really substantial way in vets for their service to the future.” America. So far, the Korums “I think any time there’s have funded a Christmas a good business, it’s exprogram for the needy pected that good things through Grace Church and will come out have committed of that business “I think any time again this year, besides good there’s good they’ve sponsored profits for people business, it’s the Advancing to go spend on expected that good Leadership Youth whatever, the things will come program with airplanes or the out of that business the Federal Way boats,” Korum besides good profits Greater Chamber said. “People ask for people to go of Commerce, me all the time, spend on whatever, they’ve donated why not go down the airlplanes or the toward high to Scottsdale? boat.” school programs Well, I want to Jerry Korum that promote be involved over health and here.” safety, and toward Although his FUSION, a Federal Way business primarily serves organization that helps the communities in Puyalthe homeless with housing lup and Tacoma, Korum assistance. is looking to make some For more information significant contributions to on the Korum for Kids the city of Federal Way. Foundation, visit www.ko“Because of our 43 years rumhyundai.com/Korum_ of living here, we’re trying for_Kids_Foundation. to make that much more
advantage of their upcoming high school years to stretch themselves, discover their passions and achieve their dreams. As hosts of One Day Your Way, the class visited
middle schools around the city, inviting students to join them for free pizza, games and some real talk about taking charge of their education.
citizen of the month sponsored by
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