Daegu grows love for charity

A new charitable group in Daegu has given gifts to 195 local orphans and is now set to provide more help to local kids in need.

The Daegu’s Time to Give group started after one member, Bea Howells, decided to collect some Christmas gifts from kids at an orphanage in the city’s Susong-gu area.

She and other volunteers Rebecca Baker and Sara Fayaz were so overwhelmed with donations to their appeal that they were able to give to many more kids.

“We thought that since there are so many foreigners ― teachers and army people ― in Daegu we could easily get individual presents for each child at the orphanage. But we got so many donations we ended up being able to give gifts to six orphanages,” Baker said.

Donors collected bags, each bearing the name, age and sex of an individual child, and shopped to fill it with presents worth no more than 20,000 won. 

Typical gifts included winter clothes, stationery and soft toys for younger children as well as cosmetics and wallets for university age orphans.

“When we gave the presents to the kids they were so grateful. It was great to see,” added Baker, who is from the U.K. and teaching English in Daegu.

Now the group aims to give people the chance to give to more needy kids while looking for love thanks to a special speed dating event ahead of Valentine’s Day.

Participants in the “Time to Date” charity event on Feb. 11 at MF Bar in downtown Daegu will be given three minutes to impress potential partners before moving on to the next person in the bar. At the end of the evening the pair voted most eligible bachelor and bachelorette will be awarded a romantic meal for two. A special prize will also be awarded to the person with the best chat up line.

Guests are invited to attend from 6:30 p.m. for a 7 p.m. start.

Tickets cost 10,000 won and include a free drink, with all proceeds going to buy stationery and books for orphans to use during the new school year.

The group is also planning more events for the spring including Easter parties at orphanages and volunteer activities to help foreigners assist needy kids.

“As well as raising money to give gifts to the children we are trying to set up volunteering in the orphanages,” said Baker.

“There are a lot of people interested in volunteering as we have a lot of spare time as teachers, but it is very hard to find a middle person to set these kinds of activities up.”

By Kirsty Taylor (kirstyt@heraldcorp.com)