Volunteer members from the Yongsan Skate Crew, the Torch Club, and the Smart Girl’s Club unload boxes from the van. The donated items were collected over a course of two weeks and delivered to Geon Orphanage.
YONGSAN GARRISON – As the winter sunlight washed over the quiet Saturday afternoon, the rustle of busy hands and feet, as well as the sound of excited laughter rang out across the parking lot in front of Geon Orphanage. Curious young eyes watched while volunteers stacked boxes full of clothes and other items. Without a doubt, the Winter GIVE project had cut through the frigidity of the season and sparked off a very warm beginning for the New Year.
The GIVE project is designed to help out the surrounding community. The orphange is located about thirty minutes away from U.S. Army Garrison – Yongsan in Gehwa, Seoul. The group in charge, composed of young members from the Yongsan Skate Crew, MST Torch Club, and Smart Girls Club, received donations of winter clothing, sporting equipment, and other necessities to deliver to the facility.
“We plan and carry out these special projects occasionally,” said Mi Kyung Kim, the leading staff member of both the Smart Girls Club and the Torch Club. “This time, as we thought about how we could improve the community, the kids reached the consensus that they wanted to deliver some gifts to those who needed them during the winter.”
After delivering the collected items, members of the group and children from the orphanage had time to interact through an arts and crafts session, as well as through sports activities outside.
“We are looking forward to the possibility of establishing a lasting relationship with the facility,” Kim added. “We are hoping that our plans don’t just end as a one-time effort.”
The effects of the project seem to go beyond the scope of simple charity.
“We appreciate what the group is doing because although the children do receive a lot of English classes, they rarely have the opportunity to interact with foreigners who are in the same age group,” said Park Guk Ja, the honorary director of the facility whom the children refer to as “mother.”
The orphanage, which has a history of about 50 years, has an estimated number of 70 children and about 30 who come and go occasionally. The institution also opens programs for others in the neighborhood, such as children whose parents cannot take care of them during the day frequent the facilities.
“Obviously, it might seem like to some people that these children here in the facility are less fortunate than we are, considering that they come from different upbringings and backgrounds,” said Shaun Juan, the program assistant of the Yongsan Youth Sports and Fitness with Child and Youth Services who put the project together. “We wanted to do whatever we could to brighten up their day, with the holiday season around, and just give back.”
The Winter GIVE project had a special meaning of its own for the young volunteers who helped out.
“The fact that this is an organized effort under the supervision of adults allows it to have a thorough effect on both the giving and receiving side,” said Karyn Wuensch, whose son is a member of the Torch Club. “Our hope is that the kids in the program are able to see how they can help other kids, not just in their own community back home, but also abroad. It’s important that they are able to see the difference in the lives that they have with parents, and realize how they are able to affect those who might not have as many opportunities.”
The day ended with the volunteer team waving goodbye to the children through the bus window, and those outside returned the favor with bright smiles on their faces.
The Winter GIVE project for this year came to a close, but it left an impression that it was perhaps just the beginning of a gift that keeps on giving.
