Face to Face: Marc Wong
Today’s Face to Face interview is with Marc Wong, who is a member of the Shambhala community. Marc made the choice about a year ago to leave behind his life in the United States to focus on global disaster relief work. He sold his home, resigned from his job as an engineer, and joined a community of volunteers at All Hands (www. Hands.org). All Hands is a non-profit organization that focuses on providing relief after global natural disasters. Marc uses his own funds to sustain his work with All Hands.
When Marc is at home in Atlanta, he volunteers at the Shambhala Atlanta center and the East Atlanta Kids Club. He is also a member of Engineers Without Borders, and is always in search of opportunities to combine his engineering training with his passion for helping communities recover after disasters.
Much of Marc’s recent work is focused on the earthquake-damaged areas of Nepal near Trisuli. There, he and other volunteers flatten out plots of land so community members can build new homes, hospitals, or other buildings. To create level plots suitable for building, the volunteers must painstakingly dig out many massive rocks and redistribute dirt. Here, you can see pictures of Marc and other volunteers clearing earthquake-damaged homes and a hospital.
Marc has also volunteered in the Philippines to help with typhoon recovery, in Kathmandu to help with earthquake relief, and in South Carolina to help after flooding.
We also discussed Marc’s involvement with Shambhala. Marc joined the Shambhala community about a year ago, and helps with the Grounds-keeping crew. About the Shambhala community, he says “I’ve met many people through Shambhala that have been very kind and gracious towards me. I hope I have been able to give back!”
Marc talked about how Shambhala principles help him in his life and work, “It helps me stay in the present and less judgmental of others’ situations. Also, it has released me of many expectations of life.” He discussed the principle of basic goodness in his life: “I believe that Shambhala has allowed me to better experience basic goodness of people, and I’ve seen many examples of this while I’ve been volunteering.”
For more information about Marc’s work, feel free to reach out to him ([email protected]) or to the organization for international disaster work, All Hands (www.hands.org).
