Because it makes her happy, Kim Hensley volunteers at multiple Federal Way organizations, and she even founded Federal Way’s Korean American Parents Association.

At 85 years old, Hensley continues to volunteer at multiple organizations, dedicating most of her time to volunteering. Hensley said she came to the U.S. at age 26, and soon thereafter landed in Seattle. She ultimately settled in Federal Way because she knew there was a Korean population that she could assist.

Hensley was born in Daegu, South Korea, and life wasn’t glamorous, but she remembers having a lot of fun as a child. When she was a little girl, Japan still controlled Korea, which impacted their ability to have an abundance of food.

After the Japanese left, the Korean War happened, which created other issues. Hensley said she remembered there wasn’t much food in the house, and there wasn’t a lot to do, but she had fun playing with her siblings.

Her high school days were spent doing lots of studying. She said she always wanted to do the right things and be a rule follower, so her teachers liked her.

Hensley said after high school, she worked at the YMCA in South Korea, but when she was about 26, her mother and father were dead, and she didn’t have much other family. So when her cousin gave her the opportunity to stay with her in the U.S., she took it. Hensley said she first landed in Indiana, but she didn’t like it because it was all fields, and she’s a city girl.

She had another family member who lived in Seattle, and after she heard about the weather, she thought she would like it and decided to move. She started studying at Seattle Central Community College, but soon found employment and began living in SeaTac.

Hensley said at the time, there was a group called the Employment Opportunity Center, and she got a job there despite her broken English. She enjoyed the job because she got to help recent immigrants find English language education and employment opportunities. She said that around that time, she also volunteered at the airport to assist Koreans at customs for about a year.

“If they needed ESL, English, we can send them to English class, and if they have some skills or some little English, we find a job for them,” Hensley said.

After working at the Employment Opportunity Center, Hensley then got a job at the Census Bureau. Hensley said it was while working at the Census Bureau that she had to drive around all of South King County, and she learned that Federal Way had a large Korean community. She decided to move to Federal Way because she wanted to connect the city government with the Korean community.

When she moved to Federal Way in 1990, she visited City Hall one day and asked how she could volunteer, and the city had her assist with permitting. Hensley said later on she became the City of Federal Way’s Korean Community Liaison, which was a paid position, but she also volunteered some of her own time when she was in that role.

Hensley said she was always trying to find ways to help the Korean community, so when there was a shooting involving a Korean boy, she decided to start the Federal Way Korean American Parents Association.

Hensley said she prefers to stay in the shadows with her volunteer work and avoid being in the spotlight. Despite that, Hensley has accumulated multiple awards for her volunteer work.

The organizations she volunteers for currently include Kiwanis, Soroptimist International, We Love Our City, Korean Senior Club, Loving Angels and the Korean American Parents Association. She also helps out wherever she’s needed at her church. She’s racked up awards and certificates of appreciation from the City of Federal Way, the Federal Way Police Department, Federal Way Public Schools, the now-defunct Federal Way’s Festival Days, Kiwanis, Soroptimist and the Employment Opportunity Center.

Hensley said she’s always volunteered a lot, and it makes her happy, but eight years ago, when her husband passed away, she got very sad and even attempted to end her life. Hensley said God is a large part of her life, and when she survived, she felt that God was telling her she had more work to do. She said this is a large reason why she continues to volunteer so much.

Hensley said that when she thinks about her career, she looks at volunteering as her career instead of her employment. She said she can’t really pick a favorite moment volunteering because she loved all of it.

“Volunteering, I think that’s my career, I guess,” Hensley said. “That makes me happy. You know, whenever you help, that makes me happy, so that’s my career.”

Some of Hensley’s awards and certificates. Courtesy photo

Hensley with Federal Way Police Department’s first chief in a Korean newspaper. Courtesy photo