Friday, June 6, 2025 at 6:00 p.m.
Chateau Ritz
9100 N Milwaukee Ave, Niles, IL 60714
HANA Center invites you to join us at our 2025 MODU Gala!
MODU (모두) means “all” in Korean, and we are proud to celebrate all that our community has accomplished together with all of our HANA friends and family.
HANA continues to build the power of Korean, Asian American, and multiethnic immigrant communities in Chicagoland through social services, education, culture, and community organizing to advance human rights. Your support is vital to these crucial efforts.
Each gala ticket purchase includes admission to the event, cocktail hour, dinner, and a gala program honoring our incredible community!
Early bird rate: $125 per ticket
2025 COMMITTED TO JUSTICE AWARDEES
Crossroads Fund
We are thrilled to honor Crossroads Fund as the recipient of HANA Center’s 2025 Committed to Justice Award!
Since 1981, Crossroads Fund has supported community organizations fighting for racial, social, and economic justice in Chicago by pooling resources from individuals, foundations, and businesses to drive real change. Crossroads Fund leads philanthropy in funding organizing models that build strong movements. By creating relationships between donors, grantees, grassroots groups, and community members, they strengthen leadership, build sustainable communities, and transform unjust conditions, institutions, and policies toward collective liberation.
This year, HANA will honor Crossroads Fund's long-running, consistent, and values-aligned support of our organizing and youth development work. As the first funder of HANA’s predecessor, the Korean American Resource & Cultural Center (KRCC), Crossroads Fund’s early investment was critical to the formation of HANA. Crossroads Fund has continued to support HANA’s multicultural youth organizing programs, and we are deeply grateful for their continued commitment to racial, social, and economic justice.
GeoBuGi Hakkyo (GBG)
We are also thrilled to honor GeoBuGi Hakkyo “School of Turtles” as HANA Center’s 2025 Committed to Justice Awardees.
In 2020, the uprising of the Movement for Black Lives led second-generation Korean Americans to seek HANA’s support to facilitate intergenerational conversations about race, anti-Blackness, and structural racism. Community members then formed GeoBuGi (GBG) Hakkyo, “School of Turtles” in Korean, an intergenerational racial justice committee with the goal of creating welcoming and safe spaces for multigenerational community members to share, question, and learn together about racism - anti-blackness, anti-Asian racism, and racial justice.
Since 2023, GBG has led the annual People’s Academy, a fully bilingual community education racial justice program for the Korean American community that combines education with intergenerational small-group dialogues for participants to share their experiences and build relationships.
Join us in celebrating the following community leaders who make up GBG: Jen Choi, Jieun Han, Andrew Hong, Youngju Ji, Jay Kim, Myoung Kwon, Eujin Park, Hye Seon Park, and Sujin Song.
2025 YOUTH IN ACTION AWARDEES
Arts for Justice:
Cindy Atter began as a youth participant in HANA’s Participatory Budgeting Initiative with the 33rd Ward in the fall of 2023. She then became a member of the Arts for Justice youth team. Cindy is currently spearheading research and base building efforts as a youth leader in the citywide Mental Health Matters campaign with the Mental Health Coalition.
Angela DelaCueva began as a youth participant in Arts for Justice in the fall of 2023. She is now developing her leadership skills with HANA in Youth Journeying Together through University Church, traveling throughout the city with other youth to learn from one another’s cultures and identities to promote understanding and respect of our differences.
Kevin Vargas has interned at HANA since the summer of 2024. He is a beacon of support for staff, handling everything from assisting with administrative work to supporting any youth programming. Kevin is a consistent leader who shows up for his peers and colleagues alike.
Suburban Youth Council (SYC):
Sydney Jon joined SYC in June 2024. She has been active in voter engagement efforts, including creating a multilingual voter guide in five languages for the 2024 election and Know Your Rights outreach across the northwest suburbs. Sydney is now taking the lead on the Protect Immigrant Students campaign at Glenbrook North High School, advocating for stronger protections of immigrant students.
Nandini Mazumder became a SYC member in July 2024. Since then, she has contributed to all of SYC’s initiatives, including supporting translating the voter guide into Hindi, phone banking, and Know Your Rights outreach. Nandini is also an active participant in Youth Journeying Together through University Church, where she collaborates with youth in different parts of Chicago to foster cross-cultural understanding and solidarity.
Sanjana Ramkumar has been a dedicated SYC member since June 2024. She played a key role in creating a multilingual voting guide in five languages and canvasses to Asian American seniors to encourage civic participation. Sanjana is now taking a leadership role in SYC’s Protect Immigrant Students campaign, ensuring that immigrant students at Stevenson High School feel protected and know their rights.
Host Committee (in formation)
Thank you to HANA’s 2025 MODU Gala Host Committee: Paul & Nara Carman, Jaye Hobart, Anna Hu, Hyeondo Luke Hwang, Youngju Ji, Ji Hye Kim, Young Sun Klessig, Hyon Ko, Janet Martinez, Unmi Song, Choua Vue, and Inhe Choi & Guy Ward.
Join the Host Committee by signing up here or contact YY Park, ypark2@hanacenter.org, for more information.
BECOME A SPONSOR
Click here to learn more about our sponsorship and advertising opportunities.
BUY TICKETS
Our Sponsors
Changemaker $10,000+
Defender $5,000+
Advocate $3,000+
Partner $2,000+
Supporter $1,000+
Friend $500+
