Dear OpenArms,
The long summer heat has finally broken and the crisp autumn air has brought with it the first signs of fall colors. Open Arms programs are in full force. We had a great turnout for wine and jazz at the Vineworks fundraiser last week – thanks to everyone who came out and to Vineworks for providing an incredible spread.
The growth and impact of Open Arms is fully dependent on the talented and passionate team of volunteers. We are strengthened by our diversity and resilient through change. Over the past two years, we’ve been guided by Inger’s stellar leadership, and although we can’t imagine Open Arms without her, we are excited for what the future holds. This transition presents a unique opportunity for someone new to step in and add to the culture of Open Arms. If you are passionate about leading a dynamic organization, making a lasting impact, and helping shape the future of Open Arms, we encourage you to consider applying for this important role. Together, we can continue building on this strong foundation and ensure that Open Arms continues to serve Korea’s children for years to come.
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justin
Nationality: Canadian
Fundraising Co-Director
Volunteer since 2018 - present
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OA Volunteer Training.
October 27, 9:30am-12:30pm @ SFS
Hope to see you there! If you haven’t already registered, please contact Yolekha ASAP.
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OA Mascot Project.
The children have spoken and chose the whale as OA’s new mascot! The whale represents a borderless world with endless possibIities for the children. We look forward to Jin Kim (award winning and Oscar nominated Disney animator and character designer) sharing his first round of development sketches in the near future. We are beyond excited and honoured that Jin is dedicating his valuable time to help inspire OA's children! Thanks also to Wain for initiating and leading the project.
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OA Family Social Picnic.
September 28 @ Yongsan Family Park
OA members and their families spent a lovely afternoon together with Director Park and SMW kids. It was heartwarming to see the children playing together like one big family. Thank you Jess and Irene for making such a nice setting and all who joined this community building event. The next social event will be for Holiday drinks with partners on December 6 (details to follow).
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SIWA/OA Coming Together.
October 13 @ SFS
SIWA and Seoul Foreign School hosted a fun filled day of art and sport activities along with Crossfit Kilogram Tribe for our OA elementary children at CW. Aged-out youth also participated and added another beautiful dimension to our community rooted in compassion, unity and mentorship. The children thoroughly enjoyed the day outside their welfare home and asked to be included in the next one. Thank you also to our CW EY volunteers who came with arms wide open to greet the children.
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OA Bike A Thon 2.0
KRW 6,408,146 raised
September 13-15, Busan to Seoul
Five years ago I somehow ended up at the basement of CW not knowing what to expect but wanting to get involved with this amazing program. This experience changed my life and I am still involved even from across the Pacific Ocean. Setting up this fundraiser has given me the opportunity to come back to Korea after five long years to see the kids and volunteer once again. The kids remembered who I was and we reconnected pretty quickly. My heart felt full seeing their faces again and knowing that they will all be getting awesome birthday gifts for years ahead. A few days after my visit, it was time for the big ride. A huge shout out to Justin for setting everything up and joining me on this journey! I don't think I've ever met a more organized and detailed person as Justin, I could not have done this fundraiser without him. On the first day, we started at 7am and finished at 7pm. The second day we climbed two different mountains, and on the third day we had our fellow volunteer Richard join us to finish the ride at Han River with Katy waiting for us with a few cold beverages! Although it got up to 35 degrees during our ride, we had no major issues and completed the ride in one piece. From the bottom of my heart, I am so thankful for our Open Arms community rallying together to love and care for the marginalized children of Korea. It is hard to put into words, but Open Arms has such a special place in my heart. It means a lot that we can get together as a community and support each other to bring joy for these children. I am not sure what is next but I do know that my involvement with Open Arms is not over. Thank you all, cheers from Victoria BC Canada!
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eric
Nationality: Canadian
Volunteer since 2019
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Vineworks OA Fundraising Dinner.
KRW 1,850,000 raised
October 18
Thank you VINEWORKS and everyone who joined their charity dinner. Your support makes it possible to continue to develop OA programs. A special thank you to the SFS Jazz Band who created a groovy atmosphere. We are still high on the love you showed us spending your Friday night entertaining us. It was also wonderful to see Sanjini, OA'S previous ED who was visiting Seoul from Sri Lanka.
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OA Dulwich Holiday Gift Drive.
Dulwich College Seoul has kicked off the 7th Annual OA Dulwich Holiday Gift Drive! It is one of the highlights of the year, providing over 200 personalized presents to all the children living at the Child Welfare Homes Open Arms partners with (CW, DT, MJ & SMW). This year, OA expanded our partnership with SDW which added an additional 40 Christmas presents. When asked if this was possible, Dulwich did not hesitate to say YES! Our Holiday Gift Drive team includes teachers and leaders of the Dulwich Elementary Charity Club, MaryAnn Campos and Hosanna Lee, and OA’s Barbara, Inger, Milee and Liz. The Holiday Gift Drive is a huge undertaking and truly a labour of love. The children inspire us and knowing they will receive exactly what they asked for, makes it all worth the effort. Last year, presents were as varied as the children, including snacks, skin care products, phone chargers and of course toys! Thanks also goes to the generous and loving Dulwich Community who anticipate this yearly Christmas Present Drive with arms and hearts wide open.
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Volunteer Sign Up Every quarter we send out our ROTA to sign up for program attendance for the volunteers. It is very important that you let us know if and when you can join so we can plan accordingly. | |
CW Toddlers Our toddlers have graduated and moved on to the Early Years Program! No new Toddler Program for the time being. | |
CW Early Years Tuesday/weekly 5:30-6:15 pm | |
Thank you to our dedicated CW volunteers: Irene, Veronica, Katy, Marta, Dee Dee, Sanjana, Shevanti, Silvia, Amethyst, Nancy, Lauren, Katherine, Sunny, Lola & of course, Eric! | |
CW Primary Tuesday/weekly 5:30-6:15pm | |
DTV Primary Thursday/weekly 5:30-7:00pm
We are currently looking for more volunteers to ensure individual attention for each child. New volunteers please fill out Volunteer Form or ROTA for registered volunteers.
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Thank you to our incredible DTV volunteers: Nancy, Ash, Amethyst, Katy, Munazza, Elena, Maya & Louise | |
MJ Primary & Early Teens Sat/monthly 10:00-12:00pm | |
Thank you to our fantastic MJ volunteers: Sophie, Louisa, Nikki, Veronica, Elaine, Nancy, Kathrine, Alice, Cate, Darine, Melissa, Alina, Colette, Jihong, Logan, James & Katy | |
Dulwich Early Teens Saturday/monthly 10:00-12:00pm | |
Thank you to our energetic OA Dulwich volunteers: Chris, Elaine, Joseph, Logan, Sophie, Yolehka, Amethyst, Kelly, Somila, Arya, James & Christine | |
SMW Early Teens Saturday/monthly 10:00-12:00pm
Thank you Gordon for securing tickets for the IFSC Seoul World Cup for all the SMW kids and OA SMW volunteers on October 5. Everyone woke up super early on Saturday to attend. It was a fun and exciting event which included a number of Paris Olympians participating.
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Thank you to our amazing OA SMW volunteers: Erica, Amethyst, Arya, Richard, Gordon, Sophia & Agnes | |
SDW EY @ SFS NEW! Friday/weekly 4:30-6:00 pm
Currently not open to new volunteers
The SFS Open Arms English Club program is a fun, activity based way of learning English. Activities such as treasure hunts in the forest, games and reading time are set in the inspiring atmosphere of the SFS learning environment, The participating children are a mix from SDW and SFS with volunteers from Open Arms who plan and facilitate the activities.
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Fur All Dogs Rotating CW, DT & MJ/monthly
On September 14, Jeena led a session with the MJ kids along with Juno. They made rice cakes and personally decorated the packages for the elderly community as part of their partnership with Korean Legacy Committee during Chuseok. It was an wonderful opportunity for the children to give back to others and feel good about making a positive impact.
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Impromptu social gathering at Coreanos, Thank you Nancy for organizing! | |
Open Arms is a volunteer-based organisation, where every aspect - from planning our English education programs to fundraising - is handled by our volunteers! You are the heart of our organization! We are thankful for the wonderful and generous volunteers who contribute in many meaningful ways. | |
veronica
Nationality: American
CW MJ EY Volunteer
Volunteer since 2024 - present
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I joined Open Arms in May 2024, and have been going to CW Welfare Home on Tuesdays. On my first day at CW, we made French toast with the children. At the end of that session, one child’s remark left an impression. He wanted to pack the toast he had made, because he wanted to bring it to a friend who couldn’t come to the Open Arms session that day. “How kind,” I thought. Little did I know then that I’d be witnessing these small moments of magic each time I spent time with the children at CW.
As I continued to meet with the kids, a few came up to explain, with eager eyes, how to say their names. Then another came up to explain who among the children were his “close buddies.” Another child approached and asked, “You speak English and you speak Korean? Are you a teacher at Katy Teacher’s school?”
A few more weeks went by, and I saw that one of the children began looking for me each Tuesday, to run over to give me a tight hug.
Then came the iPads day. The two girls in Primary Years, E and G, are one year apart, according to E who enthusiastically shared with me that she was born on September 15, and G, also born in September, was born on the 22nd, one year later. It became evident to me in the first few sessions at CW that E takes it upon herself to look after G. E calls herself “unni” (“older sister” in Korean) when she interacts with G, and consoles G when she gets in a bad mood.
That day when the children had iPads to play with, I saw E grappling with one. With patient persistence, E was trying to figure out how to go back to the original screen; how to configurate the iPad to get to a blank page on which one could draw. I watched E try again and again, not succeeding, but still trying. E finally figured it out. And she finally got to that blank page on the iPad. And then, E really, really surprised me.
“G! G! Unni did it for you! Here it is! Here!” E, so excited, ran to G and gave her the iPad with the blank page.
These moments of magic continue to transpire before my eyes at CW. They open up and thaw my own heart, which perhaps underwent a gradual hardening in a world of severe competition and zero-sum games. Watching E run to G that day with that iPad, I thought, “what would it take for that child to reach adulthood with that jewel in her heart nurtured and protected?”
Early this morning, during my daily hike, this thought happened to enter my mind again. Then I saw rays of sunshine; beautiful, straight rays of sun reaching me all the way from above, through the branches and leaves of the tall trees that stood before me. It was as if the sun wanted to say something to me.
As an Open Armer, I hope that these children grow up to become adults of gentle and firm inner strength. Adults who know who they are; who know, without doubt, that there is no one else on this Earth who should define who they are. By interacting with us Open Armers, I hope that they will see themselves reflected in our admiring eyes.
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goodbye & thank you
잘 가, 친구들
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Thank you for your sacrifice of time and dedication. Your presence and kindness made a difference and have created lasting memories for the children. We wish you the best and hope you will continue to support and follow Open Arms and the children as we both grow. Please keep in touch! We will miss you and welcome you back with open arms. | |
We are going to miss Junhwan very much, and so will the children, while he does his military service. Good luck, Junhwan, and come back soon! | |
How to apply
If you are interested in applying for the volunteer ED position, you can apply by email with your resume and motivational letter to info@theopenarms.org by NOVEMBER 15, 2024. Thank you for your consideration and we look forward to hearing from you!
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Thank you to all the volunteers for contributing photos and reports. If you have any questions or ideas for upcoming newsletters, please DM or email Barbara at info@theopenarms.org. It's a joy to bring you the latest news! | |
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CONTACT US
#2173, 20th Fl, 149, Sejong-daero, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 03186 South Korea
info@theopenarms.org
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