Adoptive families and volunteers return not just as guests, but as family
Every June, familiar footsteps lead back to a familiar place—YMCA Snow Mountain Ranch in Fraser, Colorado. This year, from June 12 to 15, the 34th Korean Heritage Camp brought together more than 750 participants, including Korean adoptees, their families, and volunteers from across the United States.
But Korean Heritage Camp is not just about helping adoptees from Korea. It’s a space where different cultures come together, where people embrace diversity, and where adoptive families, volunteers, and community members become one. Some come as campers, some return as volunteers, and others serve as directors. This camp is built by those who keep coming back.
On Friday morning, I picked up hundreds of freshly cooked rice servings prepared by Disciple Mission Church of Denver and drove up the mountain to deliver them to the camp. On Saturday morning, another volunteer took on the same task. Though church members could not attend in person, they faithfully began cooking at dawn and quietly supported the camp from behind the scenes—year after year.
These meals, along with donated snacks and drinks delivered by countless volunteers, nourished the campers both physically and emotionally. Others came from faraway states to teach, perform, or simply lend a helping hand—often without recognition. The camp thrived because of them.
Initially, I came to the camp as a reporter, but over the years, I naturally became a volunteer. Meeting familiar faces once a year, sharing food, assisting in classes, and exchanging short but meaningful conversations have become one of my greatest joys.
And again this year, familiar faces returned. Eric, a director from San Francisco, said he comes every year to decompress from work and recharge through time with the children. One parent first brought their adopted child to the camp 20 years ago, and now they return with their grown children and grandchildren. One volunteer, who once taught young campers, now watches them return as adults with their own babies. A few even met their spouses at the camp. These multigenerational connections are what make the camp so meaningful.
All participants and volunteers pay their own way and travel long distances. This is more than a program—it’s a heartfelt gathering centered on Korean culture and human connection.
“As a director, I’ve seen many communities,” said Pam, “but few offer the consistent, hands-on support that the Korean community does.”
As a nonprofit, the camp relies on support. For more than ten years, Sooji Park, director of the Korean Heritage Committee, has tirelessly appealed to the Korean government—starting with $300, and slowly increasing that amount year after year. Seungwoo Lee, a program advisor, collaborated with volunteers to organize a diverse and meaningful program. One person’s persistence and many people’s small acts have built the foundation of this camp.
The official kickoff came Thursday with Korean barbecue provided by Daeji BBQ after registration. That evening, the opening ceremony began with a hanbok parade by adoptees, followed by the U.S. and Korean national anthems and opening remarks from Director Sooji Park.
From Friday onward, the camp came alive. That night featured a lively Night Market auction. Saturday evening included traditional Korean drumming by the Hansori Team from Fort Collins, samulnori lessons by Professor Sebastian Wang, a performance by the Crown Dance Team, and a DJ and rap show to close out the night.
Volunteers handed out freshly made kimchi pancakes, kimbap, and egg rolls, along with snacks, drinks, and ramen—offered entirely free of charge.
H Mart supported the camp with a generous cash donation, along with an assortment of trendy Korean snacks, seaweed, and yogurt. M Mart, with help from partners including Ottogi, Rhee Bros, Wang, Jaynoe Foods, and Orion, donated hundreds of cups of ramen, puffed rice snacks, jelly, seaweed, and more. Thanks to their contributions, campers enjoyed an especially abundant and festive experience.
Once again, this camp ran on the dedication of volunteers. Disciple Mission Church of Denver prepared hundreds of servings of rice at dawn on both Friday and Saturday. I delivered the meals on Friday, and another volunteer handled Saturday. Meanwhile, Helen Cho and her team provided massive portions of kimchi, bulgogi, fish cakes, cucumber salad, and seaweed to feed everyone for two days. A truckload of food arrived from Colorado Springs. On Saturday morning, volunteers rolled 100 kimbap rolls by hand. Sadly, two team members were involved in a car accident and had to discard the food they were transporting—a reminder of the selfless effort poured into the camp behind the scenes.
The camp’s programming was as diverse as ever. Activities included mini-golf, hiking, rafting, ziplining, tubing, kimbap-making, Korean games, taekwondo, Korean language classes, traditional Korean knot-making, group songwriting, a teen karaoke night, and even a volunteer party.
In the children’s cooking class, students sampled classic Korean side dishes such as braised potatoes, jangjorim (soy-braised beef), stir-fried anchovies, black beans, and burdock root. The potato dish and jangjorim were favorites.
Parents joined their own cooking class, preparing zucchini pancakes, kimchi pancakes, and herb pancakes, paired with makgeolli. Flipping pancakes with chopsticks was a challenge, but many enthusiastically took photos of the ingredients, promising to try the recipes again at home.
On Sunday morning, the final day of camp, families went on a picnic. During the closing ceremony, a slideshow of photos from the past four days was screened—filled with memories, laughter, and connection. Students who had formed friendships during the camp said their goodbyes and promised to return again next year.
Each year, this camp becomes more than just a cultural event. It becomes a space where names are remembered, reunions happen, and people become family. When the four days come to an end, everyone returns to their everyday lives—but the memories stay warm in their hearts.
