Nepal relief event Sunday south of Carbondale

AP | AP
Earthquake Relief
1-5 p.m. Sunday at Sustainable Settings, 6107 Highway 133, Carbondale.
$20 suggested donation; bring your own dishes and utensils.
To volunteer, contact Tammy Girardot at tammy@hollyhockenchantments.com. To donate to the silent auction and raffle, contact Pam Davis at chefpamdavis@gmail.com or 970-948-1440.
For more information, contact Dawn Dexter, dawnonasailboat@me.com or 970-279-1171, or visit http://www.facebook.com/events/974607479236974.
Those who can’t attend the event but still wish to donate can send checks made out to Nepali Earthquake Relief Fund to 6107 Hwy 133, Carbondale, CO 81623.
Several locals are bringing a personal touch to Nepali earthquake relief with an event Sunday and fund that will send some money directly to people with ties to the Roaring Fork Valley.
The idea came together over dinner at Narayan’s Nepal Restaurant, whose owners, the Lohanis, have a daughter studying medicine in Kathmandu.
A group of locals sat down to figure out how to do something, and found all the resources they needed readily at hand.
“It all happened in a few hours with a lot of synchronicity,” Dawn Dexter said. “I’ve never seen an event come together so fast.”
Brooke LeVann of Sustainable Settings happened to drop by, and offered the ranch south of Carbondale as a venue. The Missing Link Band will perform, donations are being accepted for the raffle and silent auction, local restaurants will donate food, and Om Lohani will provide the chai before he departs for Nepal to help with relief efforts.
The all-volunteer, alcohol-free event takes place from 1-5 p.m. Sunday, with a suggested $20 donation to attend. Guests should bring their own plates, utensils, cups and water bottles, and may want to prepare for a slight chance of rain. The event is open to humans of all ages, but dogs will not be permitted out of respect to the livestock.
All proceeds will go to “Nepali Earthquake Relief Carbondale Colorado,” a temporary project of Sustainable Settings, with donations of $100 or more tax deductible through the organization’s 501(c)(3) status.
The fund will provide an opportunity to send money directly to people on the ground in Nepal.
“It’s hard to know where your funds are going when you donate to large organizations sometimes,” Dexter said. “We have many personal connections in this valley to Nepal.”
In addition to Sweta Lohani, whose home and school have both been damaged, several other locals have connections to Nepal. Hamilton Pevec, son of Illene Pevec and husband of Devika Guruna of Nepal, is in Nepal.
Felicia Trevor Gallo, known locally as “Flash,” has been heavily involved in the fundraiser while her husband, Krishna Thapa, tries to deal with the aftermath in Pokhara.
“They weren’t as affected as Kathmandu, but they were affected,” Trevor Gallo said. “There’s been destruction of buildings and some loss of life. They’re living in tents because everyone’s afraid to be indoors because of the aftershocks.”
“There’s a need for mostly basic supplies — food and water,” she added.

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