Friends and I have been contemplating to formalized our group here in Korea, however we didn’t want the stigma of in-fighting and intrigues that sometimes happen because everyone wants to be the leader. When typhoon Yolanda devastated the Philippines, we felt the need to help any way we can. So on November 9th, we decided to form the group and do a fundraising. We started thinking about what we would name our group. I sent text messages to friends who were not in the meeting on November 9th, asking them if they would like to join.
To help raise money for typhoon Yolanda victims, we agreed to sell accessories and ask for donations. Our original goal was to donate food for the typhoon victims, but an article on the Inquirer inspired us to raise money to build ONE boat.
Our first hurdle was finding a place to do our fund drive. We were lucky that Chungmu Art Hall gave permission for us to set up at the side of their main building. On Friday morning, four of us met at a friend’s house to arrange the accessories that we were going to sell. That Friday night at around 8 o’clock in the evening, I posted an invitation asking everyone to join us.
On Saturday afternoon, we set up the tables that Chungmu Art Hall lent us and had our accessories displayed. Mango Mania donated three boxes of mangoes, while Razel Kim prepared leche flan for us to sell. Anne and her husband made the “Thank You” banner. Razel’s husband made the donation boxes. Chungmu Art Hall is not a crowded venue, but with the perseverance of the ladies in the group we were able to collect enough money to buy us a boat for a fisherman. The expenses we incurred that day and the time we spent are part of our contribution, plus the ladies also gave individual donation to the cause.
We were ecstatic with the generosity of those who donated. And that same night, “The 601 Habit” became the official name of the group. Why 601? It’s the apartment number we frequent for our Saturday bonding “habit”. Find out about what we do on our official Facebook page.
What an amazing bunch you are; still loving Philippines even as you have embraced Korea as your new country now. You must be proud that Philippine born Jasmine Lee won a Best Dressed award! It’s really awesome given her background and how fashion is very much a way of life for most well-heeled Korean ladies. Well done Pinays in Korea!
Oh my! Jasmine Lee is a strong minded person who doesn’t only dream… she makes things happen. And yes, she deserves that award. She looks great every time!
Can you show us some pictures of her in her different attires? Fashion critics were behind the award; so it really means a lot.
Hello po,
Doing research… Our group in Chiang Mai Thailand is raising funds for the rehabilitation of the survivors of typhoon Haiayn. Please advice po, how much is one boat?
Hi Gigi! The price of the boat depends on the area where it is constructed. Price ranges from 5,000 ~ 7,000 pesos. The fishermen in the area prefer to have non-motorized boats so we could have more boats made and more fishermen could benefit. The local “panday” makes the boats and they are contracted by our trusted volunteers as well. So the beneficiary, panday and our local contact are not related to each other.
Congrats.. The 601 Habit