HONGDAE CONCERT EVENT: HOLD THAT SOUND - JULY 24th, 2010

Spread the word about this awesome event! The more people who make it out on July 24th, the more funds will be donated to our cause!


This concert event will be held at three different locations in Hongdae (DGBD, Ta and Freebird) and will feature 12 different bands. All proceeds will go directly to HOPE, so this is a HUGE opportunity for us! If you're interested in helping out at HOLD THAT SOUND as a volunteer, please contact our Project Director, Christie Vanorsdale: christievanorsdale@gmail.com.

When: Saturday, July 24th, 8:00pm-2:00ish

*** All those who volunteer will receive a free ticket, plus one free drink. This gives you admission to all three venues. ***

Volunteer teachers needed at these locations!

We are always looking for new volunteer teachers! Please spread the word. Contact Ryan Yoo at public.hope@gmail.com for details. You can download our application and agreement forms in the menu to the right. Here are some of our current locations that desperately need English teachers:

Seoksu local childcare center
Time: Anytime after school or on Saturday afternoons
Class size: About 10 students, both elementary and middle school.
Location: Seoksu station (line #1)

Yangcheon-Gu Local childcare center, Tree and Forest
Webpage: cafe.daum.net/nasuplove
Subjects: English, math, reading, history
Snacks and dinner will be provided.
Class size: About 10 elementary school students
Hours:
Weekdays: 12:30pm ~ 07:30pm
Weekends: 12:30pm ~ 06:30pm
Location: YeomChang station (line #9)

Local childcare center of Doksan

Time: Anytime after school
Class size: 11 students both elementary and middle school

Location: Doksan Station (line #1)

Durihana North Korean refugee center
Class: students from North Korea, elementary school students to adults.
Time: Weekdays 3pm ~ 6pm
Isu station (line #4, #6)

Korea society for the Cerebral Palsied
Class: Disabled students from different age groups
Time: Anytime on weekdays
Location: Bang-Hwa station (line #5)

OsunDosun Local childcare center
Time: 6pm ~ 9pm except for Tuesday and Wednesday.
Location: JungDong Station (line #1), Bucheon-city
Class size: 11 students (middle school)

SuYu Local childcare center
Elementary, middle and high school students
Snacks and lunch will be provided
Time: Sunday 1pm~3pm
Location: Mia Station (line# 4)

More Coverage of Our 2nd Annual Clothing Drive in Groove Magazine's June Issue

Download Groove Magazine's June 2010 issue to see the article and photo in color!

HOPE Promotes Intercultural Volunteering and Goodwill
at its 2nd Annual Clothing Drive
By Veronica Somos, 2010-06-06

On the evening of Saturday, April 10th, the HOPE organization hosted its 2nd Annual Clothing Drive at Gecko’s Bonji Bistro in Itaewon. HOPE’s clothing drive landed on the perfect weekend—with spring’s warm weather just around the corner, Seoulites were cleaning out their closets and homeward-bound English teachers were happy to shed their winter wardrobe for a good cause. Almost one hundred generous individuals stopped by with used or unwanted items. HOPE collected over a dozen large garbage bags filled with everything from winter coats and boots, to eyeglasses and luggage. Donators were invited to stay awhile and enjoy the beer and snacks that HOPE and Gecko’s provided. All clothing that HOPE collected went to North Korean refugees in need, by way of the Durihana Missionary Foundation. Durihana has been assisting North Korean refugees in China and South Korea since 2000. HOPE also received 700,000 won in cash donations. These proceeds were split evenly between HOPE and Durihana.

HOPE (Helping Others Prosper through English) is a Seoul-based, intercultural, volunteer-run NGO. Founded in 2008 by three Canadian English teachers and current executive director, John Baek, HOPE’s primary initiative has always been to bring free, high quality English lessons to underprivileged children throughout Seoul. With over twenty active English classes in the Seoul area, and more to come, HOPE targets the problem of inaccessible private instruction for children from low-income families. In collaboration with local children’s centers, orphanages and churches, the volunteers at HOPE—both Koreans and native English speakers from around the world—hold elementary-and middle-school-level classes for at least one hour per week.

HOPE’s volunteers also work closely with several other local non-profit organizations, such as Durihana, to help Seoul’s most disadvantaged individuals. April’s clothing drive was the first in a series of special charity events that HOPE’s Project Director, Christie Vanorsdale, is organizing for 2010. Vanorsdale, an American English teacher in Seoul, believes that these events are great opportunities for foreigners and Koreans in Seoul to come together in an atmosphere of community, positivity and goodwill. The network of volunteers and volunteer resources in Seoul is growing every year, particularly among the foreign community. Volunteerism is a fantastic way for native English teachers in Korea to make their time abroad a more meaningful experience and become more engaged in the global community. The leaders and volunteers at HOPE strive to create a neutral space where individuals from a variety of backgrounds can work in harmony as they help those in need. “We want to provide one of the best volunteer experiences in Korea,” says Baek.

HOPE’s immediate goal is to raise funds for better classroom materials and books for its current and future students. The group also aims to establish its own, independent school in the upcoming year. HOPE is always looking for new volunteers and sponsors.

For updates on upcoming special events, and for information about how to donate and how to become a HOPE volunteer or sponsor, please visit the organization’s website: www.alwayshope.or.kr

The Korea Times reports on HOPE's 2nd Annual Clothing Drive!

Thanks go to Times reporter J.R. Breen, who gave our event and our initiatives some great publicity:

HOPE Unites in Drive for N. Korean Defectors
By J.R. Breen
Contributing Writer

HOPE (Helping Others Prosper through English), a Seoul-based charity that specializes in teaching English to underprivileged children, held its second Annual Clothing Drive last weekend to raise money for North Korean defectors.

``It went really well. We had a great turnout,'' said Public Relations Director Veronica Somos. ``It was helped by some online advertising ― 10 Magazine put us in their top 10 things to-do list, ATEK (Association of Teachers of English in Korea) put an ad for us on their Facebook page and we had our own Facebook page. It snowballed from there.''

Somos said that this year, HOPE is focusing on helping North Korean refugees, which they are doing through the Durihana Missionary Foundation. Although HOPE does not yet teach English to North Korean defectors, it plans to do so in the future, Somos said.

Durihana was founded in 1999, and helps North Korean defectors in South Korea and China. The founder, Pastor Chun Ki-won, has orchestrated the escapes of hundreds of North Koreans. He was arrested by Chinese police on the Mongolian border in 2002 on an escape route he pioneered.

At the event last Saturday, the charity raised 700,000 won in cash donations, which is split 50-50 between Durihana and HOPE. And they received ``over a dozen 50-liter garbage bags full of clothes,'' Somos said. ``One hundred people donated.''

``Gecko's Bonji Bistro was very generous and donated 200,000 won worth of food and beer,'' Somos said. ``We had half the downstairs floor first, then as the evening progressed we took over the whole floor.''

Somos, a Canadian English teacher in Korea, said that HOPE is not based out of a central office, but rather dispatches volunteers to a network of centers.

``HOPE sends volunteers to organizations that we call 'partner host centers,' which is usually a church or an orphanage,'' she said. ``There is a minimum of one hour a week of volunteering.''

Hope was founded in 2006 [sic] by Canadian English teachers. It has approximately 20 volunteers stationed around the city at places, including churches and orphanages.

``Back then was a time when it was more difficult for foreigners to find volunteer work within the Korean community,'' Somos said. ``I think it's important to note that this is not the case anymore. Over the past four years, there has been a host of new volunteer groups and organizations for foreigners cropping up, especially in Seoul.''

This Friday is the 'Soul! Dance Night' organized by HOPE and hosted by Bar Mario in Hyehwa-dong. The monthly soul and blues music event runs from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. There is a donation box for used clothing, books and school supplies, as well as a jar for monetary donations. Clothing donations will go to the Durihana, and classroom supplies and cash donations will go to HOPE.

``The event is also an opportunity for foreigners and Koreans to come together in support of HOPE's educational initiative ― addressing the problem of unequal access to English lessons for disadvantaged children in Korea,'' HOPE said in a press release.

HOPE volunteers will continue to host special charity events throughout 2010. For updates about these upcoming events or to become a HOPE volunteer, visit www.alwayshope.or.kr.

jrbreen@koreatimes.co.kr

Clothing Drive Photos

We had a very successful 2nd Annual Clothing Drive on Saturday, April 10th. Gecko's Bonji Bistro in Itaewon generously hosted and sponsored the event. Dozens of people dropped by with donations of clothing and cash. All clothing went to North Korean refugees by way of the Durihana Missionary Foundation, and all monetary donations were split between Durihana and HOPE. We collected more bags of clothing than Durihana's van could hold and raised a total of 690,000 won. Amazing!

A big thank you goes to all of the wonderful people who made this event the success that is was. Here are some pictures taken by our devoted volunteer photographer, Liz Liberatore:













To see more photos from this event, check out our flickr page.