For Barry Smith and his wife Yvette Park, the chance to do something for society came from a chance encounter.

Their new group Giving Back teaches English to about 50 disadvantaged children at a child care center in Mapo, Seoul. Smith’s brother-in-law works for a local politician, who suggested the project to his wife after meeting her.

“It was a bit overwhelming to begin with especially as most of us already have full-time jobs, but we have some great volunteers who have pulled together well to make it work,” said Smith.

Giving Back started seeking volunteers and funds in spring, and the first classes started this month. Already it has attracted a lot of interest from would-be volunteers, with its Facebook group reaching 500 members.

The group also plans to run activities for the children at some point in the future.

“We would like them to enjoy some of the things that a lot of other kids in Korea take for granted, like going to Lotte World or other fun places for kids,” he said, adding that they were also planning educational trips to museums and other places.

“At the moment it is taking up all our efforts to start the actual teaching, so the activities have taken a back seat.

Giving Back held its first fund-raising event with Korean and expat musicians on May 4, raising 1.5 million won ($1,320).

“The first fund-raiser was quite exciting as we had some great performers and a great turnout,” he said.

Other donations have come in from friends overseas, including one from Denmark who did an internship in Korea and decided to ask people to donate to Giving Back for her 50th birthday, rather than give gifts.

Thanks to a discount from the publisher, the money was enough to pay for textbooks for the current teaching schedule.

The group is seeking sponsorship and is planning to hold another fund-raising event, most likely in the fall, to pay for the new books that will be needed in October.

Smith added that he was keen to sign up as many volunteers as possible to ensure that the project was on a firm footing.

“We have a good group of volunteers but of course each week someone has other plans, so it’s nice to have a bank of people so the kids have the most opportunity to build up their speaking,” said Smith.

The group teaches each Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at a center near Mapo District Office.

Those wishing to get involved with teaching or assisting classes should contact the organizers via the “Giving Back” Facebook page.

By Paul Kerry (paulkerry@heraldcorp.com)