Many of us have spare change jars. I decided that I would take my jars into the bank and donate these coins for a positive change in Haiti.Donations are sent to the bank account of the Korean Red Cross. You'll find donation information on the group's "Info" page, which says, via a contact at the Korean Red Cross, your donation can qualify you for a tax deduction.
I would like to invite you and your Korean friends and colleagues to do the same. It takes only a minute and if we pool these small sums, we can make a difference.
My fiance and I had been collecting 10- and 50-won coins for the past six months---we try to make use of 100- and 500-won coins---and had prepared for donation . . . 3,410 won (US$2.98). The pennies and nickels didn't add up as quickly as we had hoped, so before we went to the bank on Tuesday we threw in a couple 만원s.
I exchanged a couple messages with Riann via Facebook and he mentioned all the great work some foreign English teachers are doing in their neighborhoods here, and said that my writing about it might counter the nasty stereotypes some continue to hold of us here. I've written about this work before, about the great stuff going on during the holiday season and recently about the donation drive to furnish the apartment of a college student recently of a Gwangju orphanage, but really out of modesty and out of fear of punishment---doing anything outside the scope of your E-2 visa can lead to trouble with immigration---people tend to keep quiet about what they do. Though fighting stereotypes is always a consideration, teachers aren't doing good work in the community because they're trying to make themselves look good, they're doing good work in the community because good work needs done in the community.
4 comments:
Thanks for the information on donating. Back when Katrina happened, some of us put up the information for the Korea National Red Cross donation site to help out. The KNRC are pretty good about collecting things for such events.
People on E-2 visas can do work (including volunteer work) outside their sponsored job, if they get legal permission to do it (from both their primary employer and then Immigration). Ditto with going to school.
As an E2 or E1 visaholder, I believe you're eligible to do two things outside your primary job, if you get permission. E7 visaholders are not eligible for such work outside that scope, though they might be able to get authorization for volunteer work.
For most people not on F-series visas, there's no reason why Immigration regulations should hold them back from doing volunteer work.
I never got permission when I voluteered. Pretty pathetic that you have to get permission to volunteer.
Oh, and of all the people I knew of on an E-2 visa who volunteered to clean up the oil spill in Taean, not one person I know was questioned about whether or not they had permission to do so. NOT ONE.
No questions asked there, but volunteer at an orphanage or to teach English for free to kids of low income families (which I did)and look out! You might just get booted out of Korea for trying to help less fortunate Koreans.
Hey Chris. Volunteers are generally do things for a good cause - help, for free.
However in this raise-money-for-Haiti situation, I do think a permission, (aka 'approval') should be required. You're raising money for Haiti, not for your own greeds, and this 'permission' warrants that.
Similar issues with orphanages and teaching English. Who are you to go an 'help' some random kids... what are your real intentions? etc. etc. Security and safety, I value them both.
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