Yongin Citizens' Warmth Melts Hearts Frozen by Severe Cold

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hun] The warmth of Yongin citizens—who pooled their allowances for struggling friends, carefully handcrafted hair clips, and willingly shared their basic living assistance—has melted hearts frozen by the severe cold.

According to Yongin City on the 26th, siblings Yang Tae-hu (3rd year at Pogok High School) and Yang Eun-seo (2nd year at Sunhwa Arts High School), who live in Pogok-eup, Cheoin-gu, recently donated 1 million won, asking that it be used for friends facing financial hardship.

The siblings, inspired by their parents' regular charitable giving, decided to make a donation themselves, carefully saving their allowance and transportation money to raise the funds.

The Yeongmun 3-ri Senior Citizens' Association (Chairman Kwon Ho-chul) added 444,520 won, requesting it be used for children.

The money was raised by association members collecting waste paper from nearby apartment complexes over 1 year and 8 months.

Members also made efforts to persuade apartment complex waste collection contractors who opposed waste paper collection.

Additionally, The Light Gwanggyo Taekwondo Academy in Sanghyun 3-dong, Suji-gu, collected 470 packs of instant noodles with children, Choi Eun-suk (56), a resident of Giseong-dong, Giheung-gu, donated 110 handmade hair clips she carefully crafted for children, and the Heungdeok District Residents' Representatives Council Federation (Chairman Jang In-deok) held a flea market and donated all proceeds of 943,000 won, practicing neighborly love.

The desire to help neighbors was not hindered by difficult circumstances or physical limitations.

Jo Hyun-jeung (47), living in Bora-dong, Giheung-gu, donated 50 kg of rice cakes for vegetable soup and 300,000 won in cash. Jo is a person with disabilities receiving basic living assistance.

To repay the help from those around her who gave her courage during difficult times, since 2019 she has been saving her basic living assistance allowance to consistently support cash donations, rice cakes, chicken coupons, and loaches soup.

Anonymous donors have also continued their good deeds every year.

In Wonsam-myeon, Cheoin-gu, a donor named A, who has made donations since 2018, secretly placed a check for 1 million won in the fund box at the administrative welfare center again this year, and donor B, who has been helping struggling neighbors in Seonong-dong, Giheung-gu since 2020, quietly left 70 boxes of instant noodles worth 2.3 million won in front of the administrative welfare center.

Additionally, throughout the city, nameless charitable angels added their warmth through donations including 30 bags of white rice worth 2.1 million won and 5 million won in cash.

Yongin Mayor Baek Kyun-gi said, "The good deeds of our citizens, which warm the heart just to hear about them, are providing tremendous strength in making Yongin City better today than yesterday," and urged, "Please continue your concern for neighbors so that these goodwill gestures can take firm root throughout Yongin City."