As you may have heard, this week is National Volunteer Week. Here at United Way of King County we’ve taken this opportunity to collect stories from local organizations of exceptional volunteers. The story below was submitted by Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS), an organization that offers a broad array of human services and behavioral health programs to Asian Pacific Americans in King County. Dongkyu Hwang volunteers as a line dance teacher at ACRS.  Read what those who have worked with Hwang have to say about him:

Mr. Dongkyu Hwang has volunteered for ACRS Club Bamboo for just over 11 months. He teaches Line Dancing on Wednesdays from 11am-12pm. Over 50 seniors participate in this lively exercise class in the Activity Center. This Western style dance has been one of the most popular activities for the Senior Congregate Meal Program. Mr. Hwang also volunteers his time at Hyungjea Silver College teaching up to 150 students at a time. His style of dress reflects his passion and enthusiasm to the dance. His past experience has been a Physical Education teacher in Seoul, Korea and a bilingual teacher in the Seattle Public Schools. -Miguel Saldin Aging and Adult Services Supervisor/Club Bamboo Manager 

Many of Dongkyu Hwang’s students get so much out of his classes.  Some students have improved their memory skills while learning the steps and enjoy the social time at Club Bamboo as well.  Students have said to me that if it wasn’t for the line dancing they probably would not participate in the program.  Mr. Hwang’s class helps build the popularity of the whole program.  What started out as a program primarily for Korean seniors has expanded to having Chinese and Vietnamese seniors as well as clients from our Behavioral Health program.  -Jongsook Ghim Aging and Adult Services Case Manager 

I’m always excited for Wednesdays. I’ve suffered from memory loss that has been declining at a serious rate for a while. Because of this, I practice line dancing every day, even at home. This way I don’t forget the steps or fall behind my group peers who are mostly are older than me. Since engaging my mind and body through daily line dancing, I haven’t noticed any further decline in memory. In fact, I’m able to remember much more than before starting the class, says Chong-Rae Son, 63.

To check out more volunteer stories, visit http://volunteer.united-e-way.org/uwkc/nominations Want to start volunteering? Search our volunteer website for local opportunities