Open Arms Korea, Winter 2021 Newsletter |
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OA/Dulwich Christmas Presents @ SMW 2020 |
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As holiday seasons of giving approach, it’s also a time to reflect on gratitude. Even though we are still living in altered times due to the Coronavirus pandemic, there is so much to be grateful for. Open Arms is a volunteer run organization that is fueled by love for the children we have come to know. We are grateful for every volunteer and member who make up Open Arms to help us reach the children. We are grateful for our partnership with Changemakers who share their time and insight. as we work towards a common goal. We are grateful for our major partner Dulwich College Seoul, for their outpouring of love and bringing Christmas to the children once again. We are grateful for the hard working staff at the welfare homes who are worn thin by this relentless pandemic but continue to work tirelessly day in and day out. Most of all, we are grateful for the children who inspire us and bring us so much joy! We are grateful for our small efforts that are making a difference in their lives. With love and gratitude, thank you for your ongoing support. We wish you and your families across the globe, peace, good health and abundance. |
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Barbara
Newsletter Editor/OA Founder
Open Arms Korea Team
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4th Annual OA/Dulwich Christmas Present Drive
2021
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Since 2018, Dulwich College Seoul and their school community have provided Christmas gifts for all the children in the welfare homes Open Arms partners with. Every year we add more presents to the list and they have never let us down. This year is no exception with the addition of Dream Tree and Myeongjin. 180 personally selected presents by the children and room caregivers (valued at 30,000 KW) will be collected and delivered to the 4 welfare centers on December 8. Each present will also include a handwritten Christmas card from the student sponsoring the gift. Many families bought multiple presents and we even received a message from Dulwich that a parent was ‘begging’ to buy gifts even though all the presents were spoken for! Each year, the Dulwich Primary Office is transformed into a magical Santa’s workshop filled with Christmas presents waiting to be delivered to deserving children. This is no easy task. It takes a village of hardworking elves to pull it together! Thank you to the Primary Charity Committee lead by teachers, Ms. Mary Ann Campos and Ms. Hosana Lee, both OA Early Years volunteers. OA will host a Zoom meeting with the Charity Committee children to talk about OA, answer their questions and plan for future events. Thank you again Dulwich College Seoul for your kindness, hard work and for partnering with Open Arms!
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Donations for Christmas presents for aged out young adults are needed and greatly appreciated.
30,000 KW buys 1 present!
한국오픈암스협회 (OPEN ARMS KOREA)
Woori Bank, Account no. 1005-904-041250
Branch address: Hankang-ro Banking Centre
Open Arms Korea Registration No. 514-82-91379
Please email openarmskorea@gmail.com to confirm your bank transfer and the purpose of your gift - "Christmas Present". Thank you for your generosity!
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New! Myeongjin Early Years Program |
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Open Arms is excited to announce that we have started a new partnership with Myeongjin Welfare Centre in Gangdong-gu with the introduction of a monthly Saturday program. We have managed to visit twice now and adults and children alike have been enthusiastic about making new connections as we move towards living with COVID-19 in Korea. The turnout by Open Arms volunteers has been fantastic and we thank everyone for their support and commitment. It has been wonderful to see smiling people back together again after so long!
The time that we spend at Myeongjin is split into three sessions in order for us to see as many children as possible. So far, we have been able to work with 37 children from the centre, ranging from 5 - 12 years old. The focus of the sessions has been getting to know the children and them getting to know us through some simple tasks about their name and favourite colours. With such good volunteer numbers, the children have been able to have one to one time with an adult, which we feel is really important to help them grow as people. All groups were initially shy and quiet, however, it didn’t take long for them to start asking questions, sitting close to volunteers and generally engaging in the learning.
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We hope that we can continue with these children in the long term. Our next session is 10am - 12noon on Saturday 11th December. In the future, we are looking to hopefully expand the number of sessions to twice a month in order for classes to be more impactful for the children.
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James Loft, OA Volunteer since 2019
If you are interested or would like more information please email openarmskorea@gmail.com
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Even though we could not see the children, they knew we didn’t forget them. They were waiting behind closed doors and so were we, with arms wide open. Throughout the pandemic, Katy and Ms. Gang (CWWC's OA coordinator) have championed above the dire circumstances to continue our program in any way possible. Finally, we are back to in-person classes for a smaller group of selected children in our Early Year’s Program. |
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We started in the summer with basic 30 minute sessions with 2 kids each. We barely had time to go through the ABC flashcards and sheet packets. Then we did Zoom sessions for several weeks where we reintroduced music to the kids (Hello song and another moving to the melody song). I forgot how much the songs bring out the joy in these children. The kids really seem to get happier as we sing and move thru the music. The classroom has moved to the library so there is more room to talk and express themselves. Katy has been adding more craft projects to our program and the kids have been just absorbing everything brought to the classroom. Ms Gang is a tremendous advocate for the children. The video classroom was so challenging but she did it for the kids, staying later to make sure the kids had their lessons with us. She has them do their homework and practice on their letters before we show up. The kids are prepared and just getting better at the English lesson. Now we are going to do 2 letters each session! 😄 I hope we can hear the excitement I have for the teachers and the kids on our Tuesday program.
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Miyong Kim
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매주 화요일 우리 아이들에게 즐거운 영어교실을 운영해주신 미영선생님께 진심으로 감사드립니다.^^ 당연히 케이티에게도 감사드리고, 리나 선생님도 모두 감사드려요. 저는 우리 아이들이 즐겁게 영어를 배울 수 만 있다면 더 열심히 하겠습니다. 오픈암즈 영어 활동을 우리 아이들이 너무 좋아하게 되어서 저는 더 행복합니다.
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Ms. Gang, CWWC Coordinator
"I sincerely thank Ms. Miyong for running a fun English class for our children every Tuesday.^^ Of course, I would like to thank Katy as well as Ms. Lina. I will work even harder so my children can learn English in a fun way. I am even happier that my children love Open Arms English activities so much."
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Beautiful Collaboration
Written by Sunghwa Han
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In the spring of this year, ten young people formed a service group called the Changemakers with a vision of creating a virtuous circle of "Giving, Doing and Sharing" and benefiting various disadvantaged communities in Korea through united efforts and collective giving. The Changemakers are mentored and sponsored by the Hansoo Rotary club in Seoul and work side by side with a group of Rotary leaders to take action through service.
For their first project, the Changemakers are working with Open Arms to support its personalized English program for young children in welfare homes in Korea. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the group has not been able to visit the welfare homes yet. Still, they have met with Open Arms leaders and volunteers to prepare educational materials for the classes.
Nine out of the ten members grew up at the Dream Tree Village Welfare Home. It takes much courage and determination for them to participate in this endeavor since they have mixed emotions about growing up in the home. Regardless, all the group members are inspired to develop creative ways to support and mentor the young children.
Thank you for allowing us to be on this meaningful journey, Hansoo Rotary and Open Arms!
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Open Arms Korea New Volunteer Session |
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Wednesday, December 1, 2021 from 7:00 PM to 8:15 PM KST |
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One Caring Adult per child
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Are you a new volunteer, or are you looking to join Open Arms Korea? Please join us for an information evening online where you can learn about us, what we do and why, and ask any questions you might have about our work. |
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'Due to OA tutoring, 2 of the quieter students, 1 girl and 1 boy, have been coming out of their shells and have been engaging in a happier manner. She (Ms. Gang from CWWC) is so delighted at the transformation of these 2 children. They want to learn the English alphabet, participate in the songs and answer when it's their turn. She said we must never stop this program and continue as long as possible. She is so grateful for Katy's teaching plans, and also for our new volunteer, Kathrine Nielsen from Denmark. The kids are so comfortable with trying out English sentences and singing. It was very touching to hear that in our small ways, we are doing lots of good.'
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Miyong Kim, OA Management Team & Volunteer Extraordinaire since 2017
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Eric from Victoria
in Toronto
Former OA Toddler and Early Years volunteer, Eric, who now lives in Victoria B.C., met up with Barbara in Toronto. He has been tutoring English/mentoring one of the Changemakers for more than a year, meeting virtually once a week. It was wonderful to hear the news that he is now studying at City University of Seattle in Canada, Master of Counselling Program. He hopes to work with underprivileged children after graduating. Congratulations Eric and good luck with your studies. Thank you also for your continued devotion to orphaned children and OA.
‘Volunteering with Open Arms changed my life.’ - Eric, Volunteer since 2019
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Volunteering with Open Arms
'My name is Samantha and I started volunteering with Open Arms since 2018. I will never forget my first experience volunteering at one of the welfare homes that Open Arms sponsors. The kids looked at us like we were aliens but as soon as we started the program, their curious faces turned into bright smiles. We danced to songs, made fun crafts, read books together, and much more. Saying goodbye to the kids at the end of the day is always hard, but knowing that we are able to see them again the next week makes the sadness temporary. While some might see this as a way to just play with kids and teach them English, it goes beyond much deeper. Open Arms is contributing to the developmental growth of these children physically and more importantly emotionally. I highly recommend volunteering at Open Arms if you are in Seoul and want to volunteer at an amazing organization with an amazing purpose.'
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Samantha Lee, OA Volunteer since 2018
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Why become a subscribing Member of Open Arms? |
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We value all our volunteers for the hard work they put in, without which we would not be able to help the children. However, we also need financial help, and if you are interested in giving on a regular basis (monthly or annually), then we are looking forward to hearing from you!
Your money goes towards our running costs - communications, supplies and administrative obligations amongst others, and we are also planning to achieve status as a non-profit organisation, for which we need to prove we have a wide support base. Please click below to become a subscribing member of OA!
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#2173, 20th Fl, 149, Sejong-daero, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 03186 South Korea
ph. +82 10 5917 3214 (krn)
ph. +82 10 2716 5644 (eng)
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