By John Redmond
Contributing writer
Last weekend Animal Rescue Korea (ARK) an organization consisting of local and expat volunteers held a fundraiser at Rocky Mountain Tavern in Itaewon.
The event, including live music, an auction and sales of vegan desserts and bread, was also to generate awareness of ARK and the work it carries out.
ARK is an animal rescue organization that helps find homes for homeless animals. They work with several different shelters and vets trying to match strays with people who will care for them long term. They also help animals with health problems get the care they need and promote spaying and neutering. It's a completely volunteer organization that relies on fundraising and donations to make all of this happen.
One of the volunteers selling baked vegan desserts was Kia Veselsky who “Googled” her way to Korea and has been here since February 2006.
“Basically, I decided to come after reading about teaching overseas online and decided that I had nothing to lose by trying it. I ended up liking the job and my life here very quickly,” she told The Korea Times.
Veselsky, a vegan and an animal lover, explained that sticking to a vegan diet while living in Korea poses few difficulties.
“I have very few problems living on a vegan diet here, but I love to cook. I think if I relied on restaurant food I would have big problems. I'm sure it could be done eating out often, but I feel like I would get bored with the seemingly limited options available. I was a vegetarian when I first arrived, so that made it a bit easier to deal with.
“I became a vegetarian years ago out of a love for animals… It wasn't until I read Johnathan Safran Foer's “Eating Animals” that I decided to become a vegan.”
Her love of animals also motivated her become involved with ARK after taking in a second dog.
“Animal Rescue Korea is an organization that I got involved with when I decided to get a second dog. I knew I wanted a rescue dog, but I also had to find a pretty specific type of dog, as I already had two pets at home. So, my boyfriend and I contacted them (ARK), and they helped us through the whole process. They spent over a month making phone calls, answering our questions, and meeting us in person to take us to shelters,” she said.
“We also had to go through a pretty thorough screening process so that they could make sure that we were really serious about making a lifetime commitment to these animals.”
People wishing to contact ARK can log on to www.animalrescuekorea.org