That’s right, Dwight Shrute is coming to Austin! On October 25, Mona Foundation is hosting Lotus Night, an event featuring “the best of Austin’s Indian community including music, food and dance, will also provide an opportunity for locals to offer their support for girls and women halfway around the globe. The benefit features the collaboration of international charity, the Mona Foundation, with local non-profit group ACTWomen to raise money for The Barli Development Institute for Rural Women in Indore, India.”
I’m telling you about it in advance in case a) you want to go, and b) you like The Office. And Dwight Shrute. Emmy-nominated actor Rainn Wilson is a spokesperson for the Mona Foundation and will give the keynote speech at the event.
And now, an interview with the man himself:
How did you get involved with the Mona Foundation?
As I was riding my meteoric rise to international superstardom, I was being approached by many charities of all different stripes to help them. I thought my time would be best spent finding a cause or charity I could really get behind and focus my energies on that. Right at that time, the MONA foundation contacted me. One of the founders used to do some work with my dad, so when I asked him about the organization he raved. The more investigation I did, the more I liked. And I came to discover that the Mona Foundation is essentially the perfect charity. I mean, raising money for grassroots educational initiatives around the world that have been proven to work? C’mon! What a simple but perfect plan.
It has been said that we’re entering a new “Golden Age” of giving and a recent poll conducted by Giving USA showed a dramatic increase in international philanthropy—up 16.1% since 2007 (for a total of $13.22 billion). Why do you think more and more Americans are turning their attention to helping people abroad?
We see ourselves less as just ‘Americans’ and more and more as citizens of a world community. A world that is in a tremendous amount of upheaval.
Where are you going to stay while you’re in Austin?
Motel Super 7 by the airport. Room 13.
Austin has quite a burgeoning film scene, of which we’re sure you’re already aware. Let’s
pretend you’re making a film in Austin—what’s the logline?
Texas hippy tries new kind of breakfast taco and enters an inter-galactic time portal.
As if our movie making scene weren’t enough, Austin is also nicknamed the “Live Music Capital
of the World.” What’s on your iPod “Most Played” playlist right now?
Frightened Rabbit, Old Crow Medicine Show, Conor Oberst, Josh Ritter
What do you do when you’re filming scenes of “The Office” and you have to look busy at your
desk? Any favorite websites you check out?
CNN, Defamer, Slate, any and all fantasy football sites and monafoundation.org, of course. Oh, and this new website I’m starting, soulpancake.com – where we chew on life’s big questions.
Dwight is stranded on a desert island. What three items does he have with him?
3 copies of this interview.
Will you spoil the new season and tell us what’s to become of you and Angela?
No.
And there you have it.