In her Memory
Christina Sunga Ryook Foundation
The Christina Sunga Ryook Foundation (“CSRF”) was created in memory of Christina Sunga Ryook who passed away in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.
Rather than creating a private foundation, Mr. and Mrs. Ryook elected a donor advised fund at The Cleveland Foundation. As a donor advised fund, The Cleveland Foundation conducts all record keeping and accounting. The staff also assists with the reviewing and monitoring of grant proposals. All grants are requested and approved by Mr. and Mrs. Ryook.
As the Christina Sunga Ryook foundation grows, there are plans to fund programs for children and people with Alzheimer’s Disease.
Please consider donating to her foundation to help us make a difference in others’ lives on Christina’s behalf! Thank you!
If you prefer to mail a donation, it can be sent to:
Christina Sunga Ryook Foundation
c/o The Cleveland Foundation
Attn: Brenda Cummins
1422 Euclid Avenue
Suite 1300
Cleveland, OH 44115
The Cleveland Foundation
The Cleveland Foundation’s mission is to enhance the lives of all residents of Greater Cleveland, now and for generations to come, by working together with our donors to build community endowment, address needs through grantmaking and provide leadership on key community issues.
The Cleveland Foundation is the oldest and one of the largest community foundations in the world, with assets of $3 billion. Since its founding in 1914, the foundation has granted more than $2.2 billion to the community. When the Cleveland Foundation celebrated its centennial in 2014, it also marked the anniversary of the community philanthropy field, which now includes nearly 1,900 foundations worldwide.
The Cleveland Foundation grants over $100 million to nonprofit organizations each year, making it Ohio’s largest grantmaker. They have almost 2,000 funds, including donor advised, organizational, named and scholarship funds that provide support to the community.
Christina Sunga Ryook Memorial Scholarship
Christina attended Westlake High School and graduated from the University of Michigan. At Westlake High School, Christina was a model student at the top of her class with many academic and extracurricular distinctions.
In her memory, the Christina Sunga Ryook Memorial Scholarship has been created. In order to apply for this scholarship, the students must be Westlake High School graduates who have been accepted and plan to attend the University of Michigan. The annual award amount and number of awards will be based upon the financial performance of the fund.
The first recipients of this scholarship are Kyle McMahon and Patrick Ouzts. On June 3, 2004, each individual received a scholarship amount of $4,000 based upon their academic achievement, extracurricular activities, community involvement, leadership, and personality.
Visit Christina’s Memorial Scholarship page to see the recipients and awards.
University of Michigan Korean Cultural Arts Festival
During her years at the University of Michigan, Christina was actively involved with the Korean Students Association. Her senior year she was the coordinator of the annual Korean Cultural Arts Festival, which is a cultural event for adopted Korean children that has interactive cultural activities and demonstrations.
To support this event, a donation was made to the University of Michigan Korean Students Association in the amount of $1,000 in the spring of 2004. The funds were used to purchase T-shirts for all participating children and volunteers.
