Jake Kim, a junior at the Bishop School in La Jolla, CA, is like Johnny Appleseed,
except he uses Go stones to attract followers.
Last year, Jake was leading Go groups at his school, the public library, and two churches. This year he added a senior citizen home (he’s at top left in photo). Chateau La Jolla welcomes the seniors' Go group every Saturday afternoon. Jake and several of his students from his other Go groups teach the game to seniors whose ages range from 70 to 100.
The Go class at Chateau is a stepping-stone of a project Jake started more than a year ago which won him a $4,000 prize at his high school for having the best student project of the year: "Go for a Better World". Go For A Better World is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization founded by Jake. Its mission is to harness the ancient strategy board game of Go to help reduce the risk of dementia among seniors. He believes that Go has the power to promote cognitive function, emotional health, and social interaction to elevate seniors’ quality of life.
While visiting Korea during summer break in 2024, Jake published a beginners' book on Go, "Gateway to Go," in both Korean and English while developing fine web sites. The purpose of this book is to make learning and enjoying Go accessible to everyone through five short lessons.
An accomplished 3-dan player, two years ago Jake won the California U16 Boys Go Championship. He is an active member of the San Diego Go Club.