Seongdong-gu Wangsimni Doseondong 'Gawison' Volunteer Group Donates Talent for 20 Years

Volunteer Group Formed in 1999 Beauty and Hairdressing Class Serving Local Residents for Over 20 Years

Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jeong Wono) Wangsimni Doseon-dong (Dongjang Bae Eunhwa) has been attracting attention as residents have been providing hairdressing volunteer services through talent donation for over 20 years.

The Eoullim Room on the basement level 1 of the Wangsimni Doseon-dong Community Center is usually filled with neighborhood residents enjoying the autonomous community center programs. However, here, elderly people with graying hair gather in small groups, eagerly waiting for someone. The people they are anxiously waiting for are the 'Wangsimni Doseon-dong Volunteer Group.'

The hairdressing volunteer service of the Wangsimni Doseon-dong Volunteer Group dates back to 1999, starting from a hairdressing class opened as a resident autonomy program. After about three years of learning hairdressing skills, the students obtained hairdressing licenses and formed a club to find meaningful work to give back to the local community. Initially, it started with 18 members, but due to relocations, aging, and health issues, currently only three members are active.

The hairdressing service is provided on the first and second Mondays of every month from 1 PM to 5 PM in the Eoullim Room on the basement level 1 of the community center, targeting low-income seniors aged 65 and older. Various hairdressing services such as cuts, perms, and coloring are offered. On the last Monday of each month, haircut services are provided at the Cheonggye Byeoksan Apartment Senior Center.

Kim Haengjo, the leader of the Wangsimni Doseon-dong Volunteer Group, said, "Serving about 30 seniors monthly and standing for long hours over 20 years has recently caused strain on my legs, making activities difficult. However, thinking of the seniors waiting makes it hard to put down the scissors, and I want to continue volunteering as long as my health permits." Kim also hinted that for continuous volunteer activities, the Wangsimni Doseon-dong Residents' Autonomy Association supports the cost of materials monthly, allowing them to use good hairdressing supplies.

One senior who received the hairdressing service said, "As I get older, I think it's important to be neat and tidy, but due to financial difficulties, it's not easy to visit a hair salon often." She repeatedly expressed gratitude to volunteer members Kim Heesoon and Lee Kyungja, who talk to her warmly like family and stylishly take care of her hair.

Bae Eunhwa, Wangsimni Doseon-dong Dongjang, said, "The hairdressing service has now become a gathering place where visiting seniors communicate and check on each other's well-being." She added, "We express our gratitude for the hard work and passion of the volunteer group members and will continue to provide administrative support so that seniors are not isolated and can receive various services."

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