Volunteers are set to visit a center for people with mental disabilities on Jan. 28. The Mannam volunteer organization is to visit House of Hope to help the center users, who are aged from about 7 to 30 years old. Twelve people are needed to carry out tasks such as cleaning the center’s dining room and kitchen as well as distributing food and washing dishes.Mannam Volunteer Association also recently made a trip to Daecheong Social Welfare Center in Gangnam, where the organization’s singing club

Middle school students in Korea have helped give more than $600 in loans to good causes thanks to a project set up by an English teacher here. Mike Harrington, from the U.S., set up his own microfinance group to teach his students at Daejeon’s Namseon Middle School about aid projects. “The group was initially set up as a means to expose students to those in need, and to give an example of an aid project that is serving them,” Mike said. “After briefly discussing it in class, I decided that I wou

Painter helps breast cancer patients find hope, healing through artShe won her own battle with the help of art ― and now painter Posoon Park is helping other breast cancer patients channel their creative energies to heal. The Korean-born artist has fought breast cancer three times since her first diagnosis in 1992. And now she has helped women currently battling the illness in Seoul use paintbrushes to fight the disease by creating their own paintings. The fine arts graduate of Hongik University

Volunteers are being sought to help out with language buddy programs in Seoul. The Seoul Village group is seeking more facilitators to help with its informal conversation clubs as well as its more focused weekly group meetings for learners of languages such as Spanish, Korean, French, Russian and Portuguese. The group is also seeking volunteer linguists to provide simplified translation services offered via phone, text or e-mail. “Considering that we don’t have enough volunteers, we provide simp

Animal lovers are invited to join a trip to Asan animal shelter on Jan. 22. The group will meet at the Cheonan/Asan KTX station near Dunkin Donuts at 11 a.m. before traveling together to the shelter. Volunteers are advised to bring hand sanitizer, snacks for the animals as well as a change of clothes and sturdy pair of shoes. Volunteers will walk and play with the animals as well as helping out with some cleaning and grooming. Anyone wishing to attend should first e-mail tatianahopps@yahoo.com.

Students from a school near the DMZ have visited the U.K. Embassy to deliver a poster of thanks dedicated to British veterans of the Korean War. Three students from Jeokseong Composite High School in Paju, Gyeonggi Province traveled to Seoul with their teachers to thank British Ambassador Scott Wightman for U.K. soldiers’ service during the 1951-53 war and for scholarships they have donated to Korean students ever since. The fund is supported by British companies doing business in Korea. High sc

 Suwon homeless help group remembers late teacher’s giving spiritThe leader of a new homeless support group in Suwon has paid tribute to the volunteer leader that inspired him to start helping others. Sarah Farkas helped organize scores of international volunteers to give out food to homeless people around Seoul Station every Sunday, before leaving Korea to travel in Cambodia. But the English teacher, who had been suffering from health problems for some time, died suddenly on Sept. 9 while on h

Korea’s mixed double Badminton Olympic gold medalist Lee Yong-dae has donated 10 million won ($8,700) to help children in Thailand and Brazil learn badminton. His gift is the biggest single donation ever made to the Solibad Badminton Without Borders charity. The organization runs projects to help disadvantaged kids around the world improve their lives through sport.Lee presented the check to Solibad global ambassador Pi Hongyan and the charity’s special ambassador Peter Gade in Seoul last week b

Harvard students bring individualized stories to parentless children in SeoulYoon Mun didn’t speak English well when she moved from Korea to the U.S. as a kid. But the storybooks that she buried herself in slowly helped her to learn the language. Now the 22-year-old Harvard student and her college friends are helping parentless kids in Korea learn English through unique storybooks. She and four other members of the Harvard College Stories for Orphans project traveled to Korea to present the indi

A U.S. youth orchestra is seeking donations to perform at the Yeosu Expo and bring music to Koreans suffering from leprosy. The Empire State Youth Orchestra needs to raise $6,000 to help fund its Asian tour to play at the 2012 World Expo in Korea and also for residents of Sorok Island. Many residents of the island off Korea’s southwest coast suffer from Hansen’s disease ― more commonly known as leprosy. The island was turned into a leper colony of 100 people by Japanese forces in 1916. At its pe