Gwangju International Center

GIC Talk Review

SPEAKERS: Nancy Harcar, Arlo Matisz and Tim Whitman

WRITERS: Juyeon Lee and Huong Nguyen

DATE: June 13, 2015

GIC TALK TITLE: The Michael Simning Community Builder Award Presentation Ceremony

Michael Simning: an honorable man whom his friend Arlo Matisz claimed to have built “a home away from home” for international friends from different countries living in Gwangju.

Tim Whitman, Michael Simning’s business partner and also one of his greatest friends, asserted that Mr. Simning is “a man of quality.”He believed that Michael Simning’s legacy was to “build things here in Gwangju so people can be happy and to make Gwangju like their home.”

And with that legacy continuing, the Michael Simning Community Builder Award has been created and to award annually. This year’s nominees and finalists included: Lianne Bronzo, Brian Burgoyne, Sunjin Choi, Calen Cygan, Kim Young-Im, Jen Lee, David Shaffer, and Jordan Vanhartingsveldt. Al Barnum, the Award Ceremony’s First Recipient, gave a stirring talk about how everyone was a winner for community service.

The GIC Talk Program would like to acknowledge and thank the Award Ceremony committee organizers and all distinguished individuals for their enomous efforts and contributions to Gwangju's children community, teachers' network and charities. With over 60 people in attendance, everyone came together to hear how Gwangu has become a better place, with Michael Simning's legacy living on through others.