CEO delivers gift and certificates to children’s social welfare institution

The following is the eighth in a series of articles featuring companies’ social contribution activities. ― Ed.


Korea Exchange Bank is sharing more with those in need in time for Chuseok, the Korean thanksgiving holiday, the bank said on Wednesday.

KEB is holding the KEB 2012 Chuseok Holiday Love Sharing Campaign from Sept. 19-28. The event has been held twice a year ― on Seollal (Lunar New Year) and Chuseok ― by KEB Foundation, the first-ever public utility foundation established by a local bank, since 2007.

About 145 KEB branches are participating in the event to visit social welfare houses or the homes of the elderly living alone or child breadwinners to deliver daily necessities as well as help out with chores. 

“Several KEB branches and divisions are holding their fundraising events as well to share more with the community in time for the biggest holiday in Korea,” said KEB through press release.

The foundation, established in December 2005, does volunteer work and fundraising events for those in need throughout the nation as well as overseas. Under the foundation, KEB Love Sharers, consisting of KEB employees and their families, participate in various volunteer work including helping out in institutions for the disabled, building houses through the Habitat program and delivering holed briquettes to houses in need.

A total of 1,557 KEB Love Sharers contributed 9,767 volunteer hours last year, the bank said. The volunteer team received an award on Tuesday from the Minister of Health and Welfare for its good deeds.

“KEB will put in its best efforts to be a country which fulfills its social responsibilities through continuous volunteer work, not just by special events but by establishing the sharing spirit as a corporate value,” said Yun Yong-ro, KEB CEO and KEB Foundation chairman.

Love Sharers of this year’s Chuseok event plan to visit 161 social welfare institutions and the elderly living alone.

Yun also visited Nam San Won, a social welfare corporation in central Seoul, on Tuesday to deliver donations and gifts as well as spend time with the children there by helping them make songpyeon, or stuffed rice cakes. Yun participated in the Sharing Night hosted by Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik on Sept. 19 to help out senior citizens living alone as well.

Since 2009, half of the program’s budget is spent on Unnuri gift certificates, which can be used in traditional markets, to help reinvigorate local traditional markets as well.

KEB Foundation also volunteers overseas. It sent donations as well as several KEB Love Sharers to help out with Vision Care and Global Care, medical non-profit organizations, to conduct eyesight recovery operations in underdeveloped nations.

By Park Min-young (claire@heraldcorp.com)