Mission:
AOK Foundation is a non-profit 501c3 private foundation based in Illinois (USA) and dedicated to ‘Advancing Orthodoxy in Korea (AOK).’ The AOK Foundation raises resources to support the educational and philanthropic activities of the Orthodox Metropolis of Korea (Ecumenical Patriarchate).
History:
AOK Foundation was established in 2019 by Rev. Perry Hamalis (PhD) and Pat Hamalis (PhD, APRN, FNP-BC) after more than 20 years of collaboration with the Orthodox Christian community in Korea. From August 2015 – July 2016, Perry, Pat, and their children, Michael and Gia, lived in Seoul while Perry taught and conducted research as a Fulbright Senior Scholar at Yonsei University. During that time, the Hamalis family worked closely with the leadership and faithful of the Orthodox Metropolis of Korea, and Perry was ordained to the holy diaconate in June 2016. After returning to the U.S., the Hamalis family dreamed of establishing a non-profit foundation that would support the extraordinary educational and philanthropic work of the Orthodox Church in Korea they witnessed firsthand. AOK, “Advancing Orthodoxy in Korea,” was born!