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85 More info Visit Global Arts therapy at www.globalartstherapy.org or find them on Facebook. Rallying support To raise money for the project, Thomas has drawn on the con- nections she made in Korea to help launch fundraisers for the organization, including one held in February at Flow in Itaewon. The events help finance the project, but also aim to highlight how accessible GAT volunteering could be for expats looking for mean- ingful travel. Event co-organizer Patrick Conn, who has also helped with other fundraisers in Seoul, was looking for a more meaningful use of his time when a friend introduced him to Thomas. “I was instantly hooked,” he says. The Illinois native plans to spend two months volunteering with GAT in Nepal once his contract ends this spring. Conn isn’t alone in his enthusiasm for the project. Local entre- preneur Jeremy Rondell has used his media company, ICONZ Me- dia LLC, to help run GAT’s past three fundraisers, all at Flow. He says the events are not what you would expect from a fundraiser, pointing out that each one combines dance, artwork and music from rock to hip-hop to jazz, as well as displays from local cloth- ing brand Varyd. “We usually rotate between acts throughout the night,” he says, “so you can imagine that our support base is very diverse too.” Next steps Back in Iowa, Thomas is busy managing the cultural, communi- cation and occasional technological challenges of running a project in Nepal, where daily blackouts for 12 or more hours are the norm. This is on top of the lack of clean water and, in poorer districts, a cholera epidemic. Overall, however, she feels convinced that what she’s doing is necessary. “I grew up with these core family values (that) you have to help your community,” she says. “It doesn’t matter how much money you have in your pocket, it doesn’t matter what you have or where you come from. You always try to help your community.” We value and care for your ESARANG DENTAL CLINIC Smile General Dentistry Prothodontist, Veneers Implants 8 mins from Itaewon St. 6 5 7 Police Station Suhyup Bank Gongdeok St. ESARANG 1min. from Exit No. 6 of Gongdeok St. 26-16 Singongdeok-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul Mon/Thu/Fri 9:30am ~ 6:30pm | Tue 9:30am ~ 8:30pm | Wed 2:00pm ~ 6:30pm Saturday: 9:30am ~ 2:00pm | Sunday : 10am ~ 2:00pm 02.791.2199 esarang28@daum.net Cosmetic Dentistry