WINTER NEWSLETTER 2026

upcoming events

Winter/Spring Schedule

Your commitment and love for the organization and our kids is what keeps us moving and growing. Looking ahead, here’s the schedule for Winter/Spring and a few key things to plan for. Please also watch out for updated announcements in our Signal Social group chat.

Volunteer Workshop

Sunday March 8, 2026 @ 9:30am-12:30

Seoul Foreign School

This workshop is a chance for both new and long-time volunteers to reconnect with our mission and deepen our understanding of the children we meet in our programs. We’ll explore how their early and current experiences shape their inner and outer challenges, and how this can help us relate to them more effectively and feel more confident in the impact we make,

The workshop will be led by our Therapeutic Director, Sophie Cran, who will share insights from her professional experience working with children in welfare settings. Sign up in link provided in Signal for registered members only.

RiDE WITH OPEN ARMS

April 4 (kick off date)

TWO JOURNEYS. ONE SUMMIT.

Why we are attempting the impossible for the children of Open Arms

There is a specific kind of mountain that children in welfare homes have to climb.

It isn’t made of rock or dirt. It is made of silence. It is the steep, invisible grade of overcoming academic gaps, navigating emotional trauma, and fighting for a sense of self-worth in a world that often overlooks them.

Back in 2019, volunteer Eric Seo saw that mountain. He was struck by the quiet resilience of the children we serve, and he made a promise: he would make sure every child felt seen, known, and loved.

He kept that promise on a bike.

It started small. In 2023 Eric rode alone, pushing through over 200 kilometers to fund personalized birthday gifts. Then, he wasn't alone. Justin Im joined him in the following year, riding from Busan to Seoul. The road got longer. The purpose got deeper.

Now, we are taking that spirit and aiming for the absolute limit.

This April, we are launching RiDE WITH OPEN ARMS.

We have set a goal that terrifies us a little. A community of cyclists will attempt to ride the height of Mount Everest. That is 8,848 vertical meters.

Why choose something so hard?

Because we want our physical struggle to mirror their reality. As our riders face the vertical ascent, battling fatigue and doubt, they are physically acting out the climb our children face every single day toward independence.

This is empathy in motion.

On April 4, 2026, at the Bugak Skyway in Seoul, we start the climb.

Full details will be shared shortly. We want to thank you for your patience as we put the finishing touches on this exciting event.

But for now, know this: We are no longer riding alone.

We will soon be calling upon you, our extended Open Arms family, to reach out to your spheres of influence. We need you to invite your friends and family to offer their support and their participation.

This is no longer just a ride for birthday gifts. It is a collective climb for their future.



Get ready to reach, inspire, and elevate. The climb begins soon.



We hope you will join us. If you have any questions about the event, feel free to contact us here

International School Fairs

December, 2025

Open Arms was represented at the Dulwich College Seoul and Seoul Foreign School Winter Fairs by our amazing volunteers and HaNeul, our mascot. We also had a very fun and engaging HaNeul themed game that the kids loved! We had merchandise available for donations and were excited to see our mascot go out into the world with new friends. Our presence at these fairs is a great opportunity to advocate for our mission and also find willing partners to join us on the journey. Big thanks to an SFS student who wrote a book (with 6 of her friends) and donated the proceeds to OA! Books were also donated to the children in our programs.

Friends of Dulwich

December, 2025

We are so grateful to have received a very generous donation from our partners Friends of Dulwich, the parent association for Dulwich College Seoul, towards our Yearbook Project. This donation enables us to design, plan and create yearbooks that will be a treasure trove of memories, anecdotes and messages from the year for each child in our programs. It is another step towards providing a sense of continuous connection as we journey with them. We are truly humbled by the support and generosity.

American Women's Club of Korea Masquerade Charity Gala

February 6, 2026



It was a fabulous night at the AWC's Masquerade Charity Gala! We were so honored to be one of the supported charities. AWC's support over the years has enabled us to keep adding more children into our early years programs, enhance our activities with age-specific materials and extend programming as the children grow into teenagers. We are so grateful for the support and generosity of this community.

volunteer with us

Open Arms provides play and activity-based English education for children living at welfare homes.

We meet the children as young as possible because we know early childhood education gives children the best start in life. Then we grow with the children following their life journey learning English. The ambition is to follow the kids even as they move away from the welfare homes and into young adulthood.

Volunteer Sign Up

Every quarter we send out our ROTA to sign up for program attendance for the volunteers. It is very important that you let us know if and when you can join so we can plan accordingly.

CW Toddlers Our toddlers have graduated and moved on to the Early Years Program! No new Toddler Program for the time being.

CW Early Years & Primary Tuesday/weekly 5:30-6:15 pm

Thank you to our dedicated CW volunteers: Dee Dee, Lola, Marta, Irene, Sejung, Kathrine, Kajal, Genesis, Katy, Silvia, Sanjana, Joseph, Lauren, Alicia, Amethyst, Hailey

CW Early Years

CW Primary

DT Primary

Thursday/weekly 5:30-7:00pm

Thank you to our DT volunteers: Amethyst, Nancy, Emily, Nourin, Niki, Katy, Madeleine, Elena, Brian, Abby, Tash

Fur All Dogs/Korea Legacy Project Partnership Program Monthly/rotating programs

Thank you Jeena and Juno for your love! After years of consistent support with your animal therapy program, we are witnessing the growth of the children’s confidence and empathy. The children love your program and of course, Juno! Thank you also for connecting the children to a bigger world, where they too can make a positive difference.

MJ Primary/ Early Teens Sat/monthly 10:00-12:00pm

Thank you to our MJ volunteers: Darine, Nikki, Lindsay, Brooke, Emma, Anna Maria, Sanjana, Jake, Tiffany, Iunia, Diana, Katerina, Helen, Justin, Zach, Sophie, Louisa

Dulwich Early Teens Saturday/monthly 10:00-12:00pm

Thank you to our Dulwich volunteers: Joseph, Kelly, Lindsay, Elaine, Tiffany, David, Rita, Beatrice, Isabelle, Emma, Claire, Carolina, Brooke, Amna, Jake, Heather, Iunia, Lenka, Kat, Diana, Yunha, Lex

SMW Primary/ Early Teens Saturday/monthly 10:00-12:00pm

Thank you to our SMW volunteers: Amethyst, Erica, Arya, Robin, Erika, Sophia, Agnes

'Last class was amazing! I really appreciate OA members' passion and true love and positive energy for my kids' - Director Park

SFS/OA English Club Friday/weekly 4:30-6:00 pm

The SFS Open Arms English Club program is a fun, activity based way of learning English. Activities such as treasure hunts in the forest, games and reading time are set in the inspiring atmosphere of the SFS learning environment, The participating children are a mix from SDW and SFS with volunteers from Open Arms who plan and facilitate the activities.

Thank you to our SFS/OA English Club volunteers: Katy, Dee, Catherina, Judy, William, Seulgi, Jin

Community, connection, kids and fun are some of the key words our volunteers use to describe what they love about Open Arms. We are proud of our community, that every week and weekend show up to give the kids magical memories while practicing their English. If you want to join our community as a volunteer, check out the opportunities on our website: www.theopenarms.org 

volunteer voices

Little Hands, Big Progress.

The old adage that time flies is never more apparent than when looking into the face of a young child. We began with our group of Early Years students at CW three years ago this month, and since then, Open Arms volunteers have watched not only their faces and heights change, but also their motor skills strengthen, their English comprehension deepen, and our relationships with them blossom. We are so proud of them and celebrate every achievement, big or small. 

HR now uses scissors with confidence and precision. JW encourages his friends with a thumbs up and an enthusiastic ‘good job!’ CN carefully uses a roll of tape to add his worksheet to the hall of fame in the library, beaming with pride. It’s been an incredible gift to witness their growth, not just academically, but personally. 

The dedication and care of the Open Arms volunteers are the reason this program continues and these children flourish. The steady presence, patience, and encouragement of the volunteers makes all the difference. May we be blessed with many more years alongside the children of CW.

Dee Dee

CW Early Years Co-ordinator

Volunteer since 2017

thank you & goodbye

잘 가, 친구

To the parting volunteers, thank you for your dedication and sacrifice of time. Your presence and kindness made a difference and have created lasting memories for the children. We wish you the best in your next chapter and invite you to continue this meaningful journey with us by joining our Alumni Association. This is a wonderful opportunity to remain connected and support the ongoing growth and development of the children you have touched so deeply and to help create a global network.

Murray (CW)

Hannah (MJ)

Lavinia (DW)

Jessica (admin)

Suyeon (DW & MJ)

Yuna (CW)

Sunny (CW)

Laura (DW)

Mousumi (DT)

Tiffany (MJ and DW)

Kelly Shin (DW)

alumni

Christmas Video & Cards from Kids

The beauty and uniqueness of Open Arms is the diversity of members. This also means that when they leave Korea, our Alumni are scattered around the world including Kazahkstan, Sri Lanka, Germany, Canada and the United States. Although it’s sad to see members leave, it’s exciting for the kids to be in touch with them again. The Alumni met online from all corners of the globe and submitted videos for a Christmas/New Year’s greeting to the kids. In return, they wrote and mailed cards to the Alumni. Thank you Alumni members for continuing to be a part of Open Arms.

management

Open Arms is a Volunteer-Driven Organisation

Thank you to our passionate and dedicated leaders who work behind the scenes to build our small but beautiful organisation.

Katy will be leaving Seoul at the end of this academic year and we were in the process of recruiting a new Educational Director. We were very encouraged by the interest we received, a testament to the impact we are having as an organization. I’m very happy to announce two incredible individuals who have stepped forward to take us through this transition.

Maryann Campos, or Anne, will take on the role of Educational Director. Anne, who is on the staff of Dulwich’s Primary School, is a long-time Open Arms volunteer and advocate. She was part of the first group of volunteers at CW, and has in recent years coordinated the very successful and impactful Christmas gift drive sponsored by Dulwich families for all the kids in our centers. She will assume Katy’s role on the Management Team, and will focus on our early and primary years curriculum as well as continue to strengthen our relationships with our welfare centers and partners.

Sophie Cran will take on the role of Therapeutic Director. She’s been a passionate and committed member of Open Arms for over 2 years and, along with Louisa Ramsden, is the coordinator for MJ. This directorship is a new role created as a result of our conversations with Sophie who is a child therapist with vast experience in trauma informed approach, attachment theory and emotional/physiological regulation, particularly in older children. This will be a crucial asset as our kids grow older, and prepare to age out. Sophie will therefore focus on the curriculum for our middle school+ kids, as well as providing inputs to our volunteers and coordinators on techniques to understand and meet the emotional needs of all our kids. She will also be leading our next volunteer workshop on March 8th, so don’t miss it!

I am truly humbled and excited to have Anne and Sophie at the helm of our curriculum planning, and am looking forward to all the things we will do together. Please join me in welcoming them into their new roles! - Yolekha Mallier

CONTACT US

#2173, 20th Fl, 149, Sejong-daero, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 03186 South Korea

info@theopenarms.org