Adrienne's Volunteer Expense Fund

Help me volunteer in the Remote Himalayas to Help at-risk Children, who came from adversity and impoverishment, to improve their lives through the active principles of Love & Compassion.

I recently learned of the Jhamtse Gatsal Children's Community at a community event in Santa Monica. I was extremely impressed and moved by the work that they are doing there to help abandoned children develop spiritually, academically, and emotionally.

Immediately, I felt a calling to volunteer with the children and their wonderful cause. What could be better than serving the needs of children so that they can live better lives.

The staff at Jhamtse Gatsal Children's Community believe the course of individual lives and of the world can be profoundly improved through the active practice of love and compassion. They apply those principles in everything they do and teach.

What is Jhamtse Gatsal? It means "Garden of Love and Compassion"

It is a community, a school, and a home for more than 85 children, ranging in age from toddler to adolescent. Jhamtse Gatsal lies in the district of Tawang, in Arunachal Pradesh, India. Their goal is to provide the children with better lives - helping them to achieve their fullest potential.

The goal is to provide a safe and loving environment, along with teaching them how to have compassion.

The school was founded by Lobsang Phuntsok, a Buddist Monk from India. He long dreamed of helping to serve the needs of the remote Himalayan region, where he was born. He wanted the children from impoverished villages to thrive and learn in an environment founded on the principles of love, compassion, and wisdom, which were at the core of his own Buddhist upbringing.

I would like to present a month-long workshop for the teens, so that they could improve their confidence, self-esteem, and overall positive view of themselves.

I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and have been practicing since 2006. As part of my internship, I worked closely with teens to supervise a teen suicide hotline at Cedar Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. I have also traveled extensively in third world countries: such as India, Vietnam, Bali, Morocco, Senegal, and Mali, and have a deep respect for people of other cultures.

Please contribute to my fund for my expenses to serve this wonderful Community as a volunteer. Anything I receive over and above my expenses, I will donate to the school. Please check out their website and facebook page for more in-depth information at: www.jhamtsegatsal.org
 and facebook.com/jhamtsegatsal.