'The 21st Social Welfare Day Ceremony' Held … "Turning Crisis into Opportunity Together"

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kang Sharon] The Gyeongsangnam-do Social Welfare Council held a commemorative ceremony on the 7th under the theme "Welfare Gyeongnam of Empathy and Sharing with the Local Community!" to promote the public's understanding and participation in social welfare in celebration of Social Welfare Day.

This year, due to the resurgence of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) and the implementation of social distancing in daily life, the event was scaled down and conducted via YouTube Live.

The ceremony included a commemorative speech by Park Seong-wook, Chairman of the Gyeongsangnam-do Social Welfare Council, congratulatory remarks from heads of organizations including Governor Kim Kyung-soo of Gyeongsangnam-do, followed by the discovery, recommendation, and awarding of unsung heroes in the social welfare sector to encourage their efforts.

In particular, the prestigious Social Welfare Award, established in 2002, was presented to the representative of Haesong Welfare Foundation, who has provided a warm home to over 1,500 children at Jinju Christian Childcare Center for more than 50 years. The Special Merit Award was given to former Chairman Kim Ji-soo of the Provincial Council, who communicated with social welfare professionals and proposed policies.

Additionally, Doosan Heavy Industries, which supports the establishment of self-reliance and self-sufficiency foundations for youth in child care facilities every year, selected 20 university students and awarded scholarships totaling 10 million won.

Following this, the Good Day Sharing Foundation awarded scholarships totaling 5 million won to 10 children of social welfare practitioners, and social welfare professional associations in the province also participated in sharing activities.

Park Seong-wook, Chairman of the Provincial Social Welfare Council, said, "This is a time to encourage and support social welfare workers who work hard to improve community welfare," and expressed gratitude to social welfare workers, volunteers, quarantine and medical personnel, and public officials who worked to prevent the spread of infection amid the COVID-19 crisis.

Governor Kim Kyung-soo of Gyeongsangnam-do said, "Congratulations to those who received commendations for their efforts to help neighbors despite difficult circumstances, and I am grateful that no infections have occurred in facilities within the province up to August while responding to COVID-19 in the social welfare field," adding, "Though it is difficult and challenging, we will turn this crisis into an opportunity together."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.