Collecting donations for college student formerly of Sung-Bin Orphanage.

Donations raised by Gwangju's foreign community have provided an apartment for a young woman recently of the Sung-bin Orphanage, and now it's time to help furnish it. Here's the description of the Facebook group "Sung Bin Post-Graduate's Donation Group":

Thanks to the fundraising efforts of the Gwangju community, an apartment has been provided for a recent graduate of the Sung Bin orphanage! This apartment, which is being provided free of charge for one year, is unfurnished, and several items are needed. Can you help?

Should you wish to donate one of these items, I would ask that you first contact Tim Whitman to ensure that it’s not already been arranged by someone else. If the item you wish to donate is used, please see that it is clean and in good working condition. The Underground Grocers have generously agreed to store items for us until we are ready to move them into the space. For heavier items please contact us to arrange collection.

You'll find a list of items here, a list that includes many items in our homes and ones---like dishes, towels, hangers, hair dryers, and bedding---that often end up discarded when expats finish their contracts here. Larger items like a refrigerator, rice cooker, television, and CD player are needed as well.

I asked Michael Simning, of GFN 98.7 FM and the Underground Grocers, for more information, and this is what he had to say via Facebook:

We made it clear that we wanted to help some of the kids out with housing and employment. There were several candidates that we had worked with over the past few years but this one girl stuck out. She has managed to get accepted to university but has no family support and only the clothes on her back. There were no housing options open to her so Sungbin suggested we help her out. She was the perfect candidate as she is bright, motivated and not afraid of hard work.

We hope that this sort of assistance will be able to continue in the future. Through the help and support of the foreign community we have been able to build a sturdy foundation for one girl. If this can continue it will be a positive legacy for those that have come and spent time working and living here.