Trips to help children and homeless

The Korea International Volunteer organization is to help kids at Myungjin Children’s Welfare Center on Jan. 15.

The group will visit the center located near Gubeundari Subway Station to talk with and teach the kids, as well as playing and enjoying food with them. The center caters for 99 children from kindergarten to college age.

Volunteers will sing and dance with kids after playing some icebreaker games.

“The center manager told me that these children are starved for love, bonds and attention, so recommended that we visit them regularly,” said event organizer James Kim. “These children need and want brothers, sisters, uncles and aunts ― not just random visitors or passers-by.”

The same organization will also host a visit to Garak Market Homeless Shelter on Jan. 21. Volunteers will help feed hundreds of homeless people using the shelter next to and run by Garak Market Catholic Church.

“I volunteered here with my friends once at this shelter on Christmas Eve, and I was very happy and grateful to have done it,” said Kim. “The homeless shelter’s management asked us to come back on a regular basis, I’ll go back to this shelter at least a couple of times a month.”

Volunteers will help with cleaning, cooking, serving, doing dishes, garbage disposal at the shelter located near Garak Market Subway Station.

“You’ll have to roll up your sleeves, and soak yourself in dirt and sweat if you’re coming,” Kim advised potential volunteers.

He said he was planning on organizing many more events with centers and shelters for vulnerable people throughout 2012.

For more information go to the “Korea International Volunteers” group at Meetup.com.