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April 29, 2008
BROKEN ARROW, OKLAHOMA
MIKE SCANLAN: Mi Hyun, thanks for coming in and joining us. In front of you we have Mi Hyun Kim, obviously your defending champion, and who made a very generous donation last year to the United Way of Greensburg Fund Tornado Relief.
To her left is Pat Hanrahan, president of the United Way of the Plains based out of Wichita, Kansas. If Pat would, we would like him to open up with a few remarks about Kimmie's donation.
PAT HANRAHAN: Thank you very much. It's my pleasure to be here. I'd also like to recognize a colleague of mine in the audience, Sharon Gallagher (ph), who is vice president of community investment for the Tulsa area United Way.
A little over a year ago, on May the 4th, at 9:04 p.m., a strong thunderstorm developed into a tornado in Comanche County Kansas. 22 miles later and an hour and two minutes later, that tornado had passed across the county of Kiowa, Kansas into Greensburg, Kansas.
At the end of that hour and two minutes, three branch banks, two insurance companies, two restaurants, churches, schools, a funeral home, 809 houses, and ten people were gone.
90% of the town of Greensburg Kansas, population 1400, was gone. And so you can imagine the tremendous effort that has happened this last year. United Way of the Plains was very honored to accept the request by Governor Sebelius of Kansas to go over coordinate statewide fundraising and really nationwide and international fundraising on behalf of the residents of Greensburg.
In our effort, we coordinated through the United Way of the Plains in Wichita, but it was a coordinated effort of all the United Ways in Kansas. You can see to my right a sample of the housing, what it looked like that. That actually is one of the better homes. Everything else was literally to the ground.
On my far left, you can see pretty much an example of what downtown Greensburg looked like. It was gone. The good news to all of that is the picture closest to me, what I wanted to talk to you about today, and what I want to thank Mi Hyun Kim for.
The Green for Greensburg Funds was established by the United Ways of Kansas. And the very first gift, and very generous gift, of $100,000 was given by Mi Hyun Kim. I'm here today to thank you for that wonderful, generous effort, and to tell you what has happened since.
That money was combined with a total of $1.2 million. That first $100,000 was provided along with some additional funds in a partnership between the United Way of Kansas and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to build the first 25 homes for low- and moderate-income individuals. You can see an example of that home here today. Approximately 1100 square feet, two car garage with a full basement.
I had the pleasure and honor of attending the groundbreaking in Greensburg last Saturday. It does your heart good to see the tears and someone's eye knowing what they're about to receive after a year of pure hell.
Additionally, we have been able to coordinate through our United Way Gifts in Kind Program washers and dryers and ranges and stoves for all of those homes at no charge to the occupants thanks to the generosity of Westinghouse.
Kim, I want you to know that we appreciate what you did for us in Kansas, and to let you know what you already know, and that is that the joy of giving comes in helping people that you will never see, whose names you will never know.
But I can tell you I've met some of them. You've made for a much better life for them, and I thank you very much.
MI HYUN KIM: Thank you.
MIKE SCANLAN: Kimmie, if you would, just explain why you decided to make the donation and how you feel having met Pat and seeing the pictures today.
MI HYUN KIM: You know, last year after when I practice rounds I'm sad, too because the course is so long to me. That's why I'm sad, you know? So at that time my goal is just I want to make the cut. That was my goal. After made the cut and oh, I want to be top 10, like that.
But, you know, I hear about the tornado hit Kansas, and then they have a lot of people have like bad, sad happen about the tornado. But, you know, after Sunday, you know, I never think about the win this tournament, but I got the win.
After that I have like happy, you know, happen for me. That means I think, you know, God gave to me some special happen to me because, you know, he know I can help a little bit. It's not much for them, but $100,000 is big money for me.
I can give to them to be a little bit happier for them. So that's why I donate for them and then, you know, I just hope they happy about that.
MIKE SCANLAN: Do you have any questions for Mi Hyun or Pat?
Q. Have you received any feedback from people in Kansas who benefited from your gesture? And how does that make you feel if you've heard from them?
MI HYUN KIM: You know, last year I just winner in here, but the tornado story and then I feel sad, too. You know, I don't know, $100,000 is not big money for them, you know, because they have a lot of big damage.
But, you know, I just want to they know, you know, lot of LPGA or a lot of people feel sad too about that. So that's why I just gave them a little bit of donate.
Q. Have you ever seen a tornado or seen one on television or anything like that?
MI HYUN KIM: Weather Channel. My dad, you know, he already watching Weather Channel because we have to know weather tomorrow or this week.
You know, so I just see tornado on the Weather Channel, but not...
PAT HANRAHAN: I might just add and clarify. Her gift, this is one of 25 homes that are being built. The ground is being broke on now. We're actually in negotiations to build a second 25 homes. That will represent about 10% of the housing stock that will be back in Greensburg, so that's a significant contribution.
Q. When you first heard about the tornadoes, were you under the impression that these were much closer to Tulsa than they actually were?
MI HYUN KIM: Yeah. You know, I thought I knew -- I thought the tornado was very close from here, so I just hear about that.
And then my parents know about that, and, you know, just they -- you know, especially my parents, same thing. They just think about same thing mine.
So, you know, they just are like proud when I -- after I donate they proud.
Q. Pat, did her donation coming as soon it did spark others?
PAT HANRAHAN: Absolutely. Her donation was literally the first donation. The press that it achieved around the country and in Wichita and in Kansas really did make a difference.
From that, we saw gifts from large corporations down to Amanda and her two friends in Wisconsin who had a lemonade stand. I mean, it literally from young to old from corporate givers to small givers.
Q. Kimmie, if you would, talk about defending your title here at SemGroup. I know there's a lot on your mind here with all the pictures. But in addition to that, you've got a golf tournament this week. Talk about any pressure you feel defending the championship this week.
MI HYUN KIM: I have pressure every week, you know. I had knee surgery last winter so I didn't practice much, you know. I'm still, you know, my knee still hurt a little bit, so I'm still trying to, you know, playing the golf and then, you know, just enjoy -- I just trying to enjoy my play.
I just practice nine holes this morning and course is a little, I don't know. I have a little more distance than last year, so course is a little easier to me than last year. So I don't know. Let me try this week, too.
Q. If you were to win again this week, do you have any odds charities in mind?
MI HYUN KIM: No. I would try, and then -- last week I had -- I make the commercial in Korea and some kind of company, so I made a lot of money last week. I'm happy about that.
But I donate in Korea to charity that money. I don't know, if I win this week maybe I'm going to spend money to other charities in Korea.
Q. I spoke to someone last week in Greensburg, and they told me to relay the message to you that you've got a lot of fans that are rooting for you to do well. And any reaction to all the new fans in Kansas?
MI HYUN KIM: Thank you. I like that. You know, when I won at the Jamie Farr two years ago I have playoff with Natalie Gulbis. When I play with her, a lot of -- like so many fans following her. And then I have like few, maybe.
And after when I won that time and everybody left in the ceremony. Nobody in the ceremony. So you know, when I won the tournament, I want a lot of people be with me. I wish.
Q. The way the course is playing after you saw it today, what do you think it's going to take for someone to win on this course this week?
MI HYUN KIM: Course is much easier than last year. Last year is like score is very high. Only 3-under, 4-under last year. But I think this year is more -- I think it's better score than last year.
Q. Why is that?
MI HYUN KIM: Not much rough and not much tree. I don't know. Pretty easy for me, I think. Yeah.
Q. Pat, is there still a lot damage still to be cleaned up?
PAT HANRAHAN: The debris is pretty much gone. There's still some. It's the trees that really get your attention, because they're just striped and gnarled branches, and that's all that's there. City Hall is a trailer. Courthouse is about all of the original building that is left.
But there are homes going up. It's looking much better month after month. I would say the trees, when you drive through there you know something big happened.
Q. (No microphone.)
PAT HANRAHAN: That took a lot of time for people to decide. Many of them were debating about moving somewhere else because the jobs were somewhere else. It's a good example of rural America, where the jobs have gone to the bigger cities. It leaves them with a lot of questions.
Now we're seeing with the first homes going up that hope returning. We're seeing a lot of interest from people that want to move back.
Q. I heard a lot of players talk about hole No. 3. One of the holes that was least affected by the ice storm. Talk about that hole and how it's somewhat pivotal.
MI HYUN KIM: I don't know. Looks like same for me. I'm not a long hitter, so I'm always hit driver or 3-wood over there. So I don't know. Looks like the same for me.
But some people told me, you know, they have -- they lose to the tree on the left side fairway. There's more easy for them. But I don't know. It's same for me.
PAT HANRAHAN: Same for me, too. (Laughter).
MIKE SCANLAN: Pat, thanks a lot for coming. And Mi Hyun, thanks again for your donation and good luck this week.
MI HYUN KIM: Thank you.
PAT HANRAHAN: Thank you.
End of FastScripts
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