Lily Kim Hale, a Korean-American woman, always had nostalgia for her mother country, Korea.  She longed for a sense of belonging and envisioned creating a community of Korean-American women in Florida where they could share visions, exchange ideas, offer emotional support, foster friendships, and collaborate to serve others. To make this dream a reality, she decided to form an organization.

The Korean American Women’s Association of Florida (KAWAFL) was founded in February 2020. Originally formed as the Korean American Women’s Society of Florida, registered under IRS Nonprofit Code Section 501(c)(3), it was changed to KAWASWFL in January 2021.  Although KAWAFL was founded in February 2020, the COVID-19 outbreak delayed the organization’s takeoff and success until January 2021.

In the beginning, KAWAFL started for the entire state of Florida, but in January 2021, Myong Dusbabek and Lily Kim Hale decided it needed to be established into six regions due to the substantial driving distances for members across the state and to make it easier for members to attend more localized meetings and events. Since the inception of KAWAFL, three regions have been established. KAWA Southwest Florida region (KAWASWFL) and KAWA Tampa Bay region were established in 2021, and KAWA Orlando region was established in 2022. The remaining three regions: Pensacola, Jacksonville, and Miami are currently in the planning phase. Once all six regions have been established, Lily Kim Hale’s dream was for all six regions to become federated, united as one, leaving a legacy behind for future generations to come.