80,000 Blood Donation Certificates Delivered Since 2008
Also Donated 850 Million Won for Medical Expenses
#. Solji (a pseudonym), who loves singing and dancing, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in August 2019. Although she needed treatment due to language development delays caused by the side effects of chemotherapy, her family could not afford the high monthly rehabilitation costs. At this time, the Pediatric Cancer Support Project, one of Korea Expressway Corporation's representative social contribution programs, was a great help. Solji continued her rehabilitation treatment steadily, and her family sent a thank-you letter to the Expressway Corporation.
Ham Jin-gyu, President of Korea Expressway Corporation (left), is taking a commemorative photo with Seo Sin-won, Secretary General of the Korea Leukemia Children's Foundation, after delivering blood donation certificates and treatment expenses on December 28 last year. / Photo by Korea Expressway Corporation
Korea Expressway Corporation announced on the 20th that under the slogan "Opening the road to a happy world," it is carrying out various "Life Sharing Projects" in addition to the pediatric cancer support project.
The Blood Donation Bank is one of the representative social contribution activities that the Expressway Corporation introduced and has been operating since 2008, the first among public enterprises. Last year, a total of 3,232 employees participated, donating 3,082 blood donation certificates to the Blood Donation Bank, achieving the top blood donation record among all public enterprises. Year-round blood donation certificate collection campaigns are also conducted targeting the public at highway rest areas.
The blood donation certificates and treatment costs collected through the Blood Donation Bank are donated to organizations such as the Leukemia Children's Foundation for the treatment of pediatric cancer children. Until last year, the Expressway Corporation delivered 82,000 blood donation certificates and 850 million KRW in treatment costs. This month, it signed a "Life Sharing Activation Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)" with the Korean Red Cross and will promote various life-sharing activities.
The Expressway Corporation is also conducting projects to help treat children suffering from rare diseases and heart diseases. Since 2010, through the social contribution project "ex Love Fund," where employee donations are accumulated based on the number of wins and points of the "Gimcheon Hi-Pass Volleyball Team," the Expressway Corporation has been helping low-income children with rare diseases in the Gimcheon area every year. As of this month, it has donated 340 million KRW in treatment costs to 115 children.
On the 6th of last month, employees of Korea Expressway Corporation, Salvation Army, and patients are taking a commemorative photo together at the Plaza Hotel in Kyrgyzstan. / Photo by Korea Expressway Corporation
Together with the Salvation Army, the corporation also runs a project supporting treatment costs for children with heart disease in underdeveloped overseas countries through fundraising activities at highway rest areas every year-end. Since starting the first highway fundraising activity in 1998, it has raised about 4.8 billion KRW until last year, which was used for the treatment costs of 429 children with heart disease from seven countries including Mongolia and the Philippines. This year, with about 90 million KRW raised through last year's fundraising activities, it plans to give new life to 12 children in Kyrgyzstan.
Recognizing these efforts, the Expressway Corporation received two awards, the "Beautiful Korean Award" and the "Korea Volunteer Award," at the Korea UN Volunteers Foundation's Korea Volunteer Awards ceremony. Additionally, since 2010, through activities such as donating blood donation buses and supporting small business owners, the corporation has achieved cumulative donations of about 17.5 billion KRW and became the first public enterprise to join the Red Cross Honors Company 10 Billion Club selected by the Korean Red Cross.
Ham Jin-gyu, president of the Expressway Corporation, said, "We will participate in practicing life sharing through continuous blood donation activities," and added, "We will also strive to help spread the culture of life sharing through various social contribution activities such as supporting children with heart disease overseas."
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