18th store nationwide opens in North Chungcheong Province
200 military children receive scholarships earlier this month
The Woori Financial Future Foundation, an affiliate of Woori Financial Group, announced Friday that it has opened a second Goodwill Store in Cheongju.
The foundation held an opening ceremony Thursday for the Goodwill Store Milal Cheongju Heungdeok branch in Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, with Secretary General Jang Gwang-ik of the Woori Financial Future Foundation and Hong Jeong-gil, chairman of the Milal Welfare Foundation, among those in attendance.
Goodwill Stores sell donated goods from companies and individuals and use the proceeds to employ people with developmental disabilities.
Spanning about 495 square meters, the Milal Cheongju Heungdeok branch is the second Goodwill Store in Cheongju — following the Milal Cheongju Sangdang branch, which opened in September last year — and the 18th nationwide supported by Woori Financial Group. The store aims to provide stable employment and support independent living for people with developmental disabilities in the region.
Woori Financial Group has been steadily opening Goodwill Stores to expand employment opportunities for people with developmental disabilities living outside major cities. After opening stores in Ulsan, Daegu, Ansan and Cheongju last year, the group added new locations this year in Hanam, Jeonju and Cheongju, with another store set to open in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, in November.
"It is deeply meaningful to be able to provide stable jobs for people with developmental disabilities in the Cheongju area," said Shin Geon-woo, a manager at the Woori Financial Future Foundation. "The opportunity to work is a fundamental right and the starting point for social participation. We will continue to consistently expand Goodwill Stores across the country so that people with developmental disabilities can live independently in their communities."
Earlier this month, the Woori Financial Future Foundation selected 200 children of military personnel as recipients of its Woori Financial Patriots Scholarship, distributing 1 million won ($742) per person for a total of 200 million won in scholarships.
hyuk@heraldcorp.com
