Fund-raiser to send orphans to Thailand

“Orphans are used to receiving and often don’t appreciate what they are offered. It’s not because they’re bad, but because they haven’t had chances to give,” said Choi Jin-young, who has volunteered at Shinmyung Orphanage in Bupyeong, Incheon, for a year now. “Thus, I want to give them an opportunity to share what they have.”
To do so, she will hold a fundraising event this Friday to take nine orphans to Chiang Mai, Thailand, where the children will perform traditional Korean fan and drum dances for the hill tribes. “It’s not just to give them an overseas travel experience, but also an opportunity to learn from the hill tribes who live a happy life with few possessions as well as to experience what it is like doing things for others,” said Ms. Choi.
She said that foreign friends who have visited the orphanage with her to expose the children to different cultures are helping organize the event. It will be held at La Festa, a venue in Cheongdam-dong, southern Seoul, on Friday from 9 p.m. Admission fee is 35,000 won ($37) and includes wine and cheese. There will also be a Latin dance performance and an exhibition of paintings by the Seoul Art Collective. Even the dancers are paying the entrance fee while performing for free, and the artists will donate part of any sales they make. RSVPs are required to shinmyung_children@hotmail.com or (010) 3135-2768.

by Park Sung-ha