Raised in Korea where education is the highest priority for a Korean family, Dr. and Mrs. Yang Ho Rhee established the Dr. and Mrs. Yang Ho Rhee Scholarship with the Community Foundation of the Great River Bend to honor children of Korean heritage. Dr. and Mrs. Rhee believe young people, especially from newly immigrated families, are in need of financial assistance to pursue their post high school education.

Dr. Rhee was raised in Kunsan, Korea and Mrs. Rhee, a nurse in Seoul, Korea met while Dr. Rhee was interning at the 7th Day Adventist Hospital. Settling in Chicago after their marriage, Dr. Rhee worked at Cook County Hospital and Hines VA Hospital prior to moving to the Quad City area in 1977 where he is currently a member of Advanced Radiology, S.C.

The Rhees encouraged the value of education with their own children, Thomas and Karen. Both children attended local elementary and high schools, with Thomas graduated from the University of Iowa College of Medicine and Karen graduated from Washington University School of Law.

Dr. and Mrs. Rhee feel very fortunate that their children have bright futures given their educational background. Motivated by their desire to “give back to our community” and “help others,” the Rhees chose the Community Foundation because of its expertise in administering the scholarship in a professional manner. They said the Foundation would also preserve their wishes to provide education opportunities to local students of Korean heritage for years to come.