How do Kookmin students plan to spend the last couple of days of summer vacation?
There must be some who are trying to catch up with their studies. Some might be planning to start a new study and there are those who are preparing for getaways. It sure is a busy road to keep up with, but we must take some free time to relax and look after our neglected neighbors. We can give a lot of happiness starting with the tender loving care and attention to our neighbors who are often excluded and forgotten. Let’s meet Kookmin University’s volunteering club ‘Leo’ whose members are filled with love in their hearts.

Introduction of ‘Leo’s’ Traditional History
The volunteering club ‘Leo’ is a club of Kookmin University that takes pride in its approximately 40 years of tradition. Our club, in affiliation with Mapo Senior Welfare Center, performs volunteer works centered on the welfare of the elderly. We visit houses of seniors living in solitude and deliver daily necessities distributed from the welfare center. Most importantly, we try our best to become a boon companion that soothes the lonely hearts of seniors and look after them by helping to clean their living environments. Volunteering is not the sole responsibility of the club ‘Leo’. Aimed at reinforcing the unity of the members, various social events are held throughout the school year, serving as opportunities for members to develop better camaraderie. Situated in the community center unit 216, our office is cozy and is full of laughter. There’s an advantage that every member can spend his/her free time in a relaxed manner.

How are volunteering activities progressing?
Volunteering activities takes place bi-weekly. However, in consideration of other upcoming volunteering event dates and examination periods, the dates are flexibly adjusted. Approximately 6~7 volunteering events take place in one year. On our volunteering dates, members gather around the Mapo Senior Welfare Center located at the Gwangheungchang Station. As soon as all the members are present, depending on the number, members are divided into groups to visit the houses of elderly and fulfill the tasks assigned from the welfare center. Also, we take pictures with the elderly and ourselves performing other activities and send those pictures to a social worker to get our volunteering hours approved. After we finish our volunteering activities per group, we gather around to share meals and exchange our thoughts and opinions about volunteering. Apart from this regular senior welfare volunteering, if there’s a volunteering event from an external organization, anyone can approach the leaders and an announcement of such event is displayed on our chat window to encourage volunteering together.

How is the organization of Leo like? Are there any requirements for registration?
There are no specific requirements to be registered for Leo. Any student can learn ways to share love and feel the happiness of volunteering while working with us. It is still acceptable to register for our club if a student frequently comes to visit our club office to socialize. It will surely be more welcoming if a student comes with the great mind to volunteer as our club’s purpose is on volunteering. There’s no complicated registration process involved, so feel free to visit us anytime to socialize and share our thoughts. Once familiar with our members, that’s it for our registration. Our targets are usually freshmen and sophomores. Even if you missed the opportunity to register during the first term, there’s no need to feel left out since you will be equally welcomed during the second term.

What does it mean to ‘Volunteer’ according to the Volunteering club Leo’?
Our definition of volunteering is ‘worthiness’. To jump to the conclusion, there’s difference in impressions that you get after volunteering, something that is truly beyond compare. And the achievement is the ‘worthiness’ that you feel after volunteering. Most of the members start volunteering vaguely with indefinite minds but as they keep on participating to volunteer, they realize that it is definitely worth doing and they feel the great achievement so it is safe to conclude that volunteering is ‘worthiness’.

Is there a particular memorable experience while volunteering?
It was one of those ordinary days when members were asked to gather around the Mapo Senior Welfare Center to go volunteering. That day, our responsible social worker gave each group gift certificates worth 40,000 won to be spent at the traditional market. Our task was to use the gift certificate at the traditional market trying to spend as much as we could within the amount. We were advised to use the gift certificate at the nearby Mang-one Market. So, before heading out to the market, each group called our visiting seniors to plan what to buy within the amount of gift certificates that we were given. There were some members who were excited about the task as if they were on a TV program, while others were thrilled about doing such unconventional task. It was a sizzling hot day and to carry such heavy loads, we were all drenched in sweat. Amidst all that, it was definitely one moment we all felt so proud of ourselves.

What are some forthcoming plans and activities?
Our forthcoming plan is to sincerely share love whenever we visit the elderly and to help bring smile to their faces. We are planning to practice singing and dancing to keep the seniors entertained. Leo’s great value is to become a significant group for the seniors. Besides this regular welfare volunteering, we plan to participate in other volunteering areas such as children welfare center and rural farming communities to gain a variety of volunteering experiences. Our objective is to become a volunteering club that is self-motivated to participate.