DAIL Community, KCA, blood drive

Last Friday I visited Jubilate Cafe, the first Dail Community project operating in Atlanta. What the heck is Dail (pronounced Dah-ill)?

Back in 80's, Seoul, the capital of S. Korea, was a total ghetto; countless poverty-driven village with thousands of sick ppl who can't afford medicine and hungry ppl who can't afford food.

So, this pastor named Rev. Choi decided,"I'm gon' start scooping rice to ppl." ("scooping rice" in Korean is an idiom for feeding ppl; and yes ppl literally scoop rice to share)

And he did just that.

People started calling him Rev. Rice Scooper. Years later his project grew to include medical care and few years ago first-ever free hospital in Seoul was open, Dail Angel Hospital; any seriously ill ppl who otherwise can't afford medical care are treated there, the cost being funded by thousands of Angel Donors across the globe. And now Dail Community is scooping rice to the hunger in Cambodia, China, and Africa as well.

I've met him twice in last couple years when he came to start some projects in US; what a great guy; great example of how small thing grows to achieve a long-run goal; he literally started off going out to street with a spatula and a big rice bowl, and his project now continuously feeds the hunger in the aforementioned places. Definitely one of my major inspirations for my passion for charity.

Passion. Initiative. And I think it just takes some time. Oh sorry some is a bad word; much much time.

Anyway Jubilate Cafe is this little homestyle cafe that uses 100% of its proceeds for Dail.

Btw. Dail in Korean means "unity in diversity"

Jubilate opened couple weeks ago; I went there for the first time last Fri w/ my sister to attend a little promo concert the place held. As a not-profit volunteer myself, I know how it feels to have ppl come at events; one person, one face, one little step means so much. I talked with one of the ladies that work there. She said how $5 can provide a month of nutrition supplies for a kid in Africa. I shared my volunteer stories with KCA; how ARV costs only a dollar a day yet numerous kids die fro AIDS every year in Africa; she said I'm doing good thing and acknolwedges that AIDS is indeed a serious problem.

I just love these moments.

I had a brief talk with her about how I wanna start something in New York for Dail once I go back; I left my contact, enjoyed the concert (classical repertoire!), and went back.

Switching gear, poverty is intrinsically linked with AIDS; ok my Keep A Child Alive works; what's been up?

Haven't heard any response from my church mission committee regarding my short-term and long-term partnership proposal. Slow Southern bureaucracy. I will go to their next meeting on July 23. But I know busy pace isn't busy result; takes time to sip in. Unfortunately it's not like non-profits will run out of things to do.

As a kid watching legless people creeping in ghetto market place begging for money in S. Korea, I learned this world is a trashcan. As I started volunteering for charity, I was mad why it is still a trashcan when we have all these charity groups. By the time I reached high school, I realized this Earth can't pump shits unlimtedly hence it will always be a trashcan and best we do is distribute those shits as fairly as possible.

I was wikisurfing and found out that "Don't Give Up" cover version by Bono and Alicia Keys used to be exclusively sale on iTune and %100 of proceeds go to KCA; also found out Cingular (now AT&T) has that song on ringtone and %100 proceeds also go to KCA. Contacted the KCA headquarter to verify if these are still truths, once verified I wanna start a campaign (like low-key stuff on facebook and what-not, not to appear as iTune and Cingular promoters, lol) telling ppl to buy those.

The first high school chapter of KCA (KCA at Duluth High School, to be headed by my sister) promotion efforts that my sister and I will work on will start in July, starting w/ probably something w/ myspace (those myspace addicted high schoolers!)

Last Sunday was blood drive at my church. I kept company w/ one of my friends who gave blood while she's laying down relaxing right after giving blood. She asked, "Why aren't you giving blood?"

I was so embarrassed; I didn't think much into it; that evening when I invited ppl to join KCA facebook cause I couldn't dare send her invitation.

I don't know how much was pumped outta one person; but supposedly the blood collected from that day from one person keeps three babies alive.

As an international person (actually I hate that word international; "inter" means "between," and "between" implies there is some barrier to be crossed, and to assume that in the first place is the problem!...ok enough w/ my rant about words and some obscure concepts....here by international I mean I've lived countried besides US), it's always refreshing to know here domestically in US there are craps going on. Of course it is indeed true that babies in US have much much much better access to health care than babies in Africa and hence more and more efforts should be put for Africa; but in terms of each life itself every baby's life is equally precious.

I hate cliche and obvious statements, but any of those probably has something in truth: seems like there is more than one way to keep a child alive.

peace+love