30 additional group homes selected this year, following 53 supported last year

Officials from the Taekwang Group Ilju Academic Cultural Foundation and the Korea Child and Youth Group Home Council pose for a photo at a handover ceremony for learning IT devices donated to children and youth in group homes. [Taekwang Group Ilju Academic Cultural Foundation]
Officials from the Taekwang Group Ilju Academic Cultural Foundation and the Korea Child and Youth Group Home Council pose for a photo at a handover ceremony for learning IT devices donated to children and youth in group homes. [Taekwang Group Ilju Academic Cultural Foundation]

The Taekwang Group Ilju Academic Cultural Foundation announced Tuesday it will provide 30 million won ($22,100) worth of learning IT devices to 30 group homes for children and youth this year.

Group homes are small residential welfare facilities for children and youth who need protection due to abuse, neglect, poverty or other circumstances. The foundation supplied one learning PC each to 53 group homes nationwide last year and has newly selected 30 facilities this year to receive tablet PCs and Bluetooth headphones.

The late honorary chairman Lee Im-yong established the Ilju Academic Cultural Foundation on July 19, 1990, with a private endowment, and the foundation has since carried out public-interest activities including scholarships, research grants and support for educational institutions. Since 2012, it has also run tutoring and mentoring programs at group homes as part of a scholarship recipients' volunteer initiative. Chairman Lee Ho-jin, who took office in August, has called for a range of new programs to support group homes.

"We will continue to provide diverse support so that children and youth can broaden their educational opportunities and grow up healthy," a foundation official said.


klee@heraldcorp.com