Public service extends beyond The Office

Rainn Wilson, Emmy nominated actor of The Office, raised $4,800 for the Mona Foundation Friday on campus.

The event, put on by the Baha'i Student Association, the UW Alumni Association, ASUW and the Mona Foundation, was a great success, said Anisa Ghadrshenas, senior environment health major who helped organize the event.

Wilson, or Dwight Schrute, as he is known on The Office, is a UW alumnus. This was his first time back in Seattle since leaving the school.

During his time at the UW, Wilson struggled with the decision of going into the arts or doing service work, he said at the speech.

Wilson's friend, and roommate at the time, was going to teach in India, and Wilson considered doing something similar.

He decided to follow his passion for the arts and now wants to help make the world a better place with his celebrity status.

Wilson was in town because he recently became a spokesperson for the Mona Foundation and was attending an event in Seattle.

The Mona Foundation is a nonprofit organization that supports grassroots projects established in developing countries to promote the education of women.

"When my celeb-star started to rise. I thought to myself, how can I do the most good?" Wilson said.

After being approached about working for several organizations, Wilson decided that the Mona Foundation was the perfect charity.

The Mona Foundation finds programs that are already working in developing countries and helps them mature, Wilson said.

Wilson's goal for Friday was to get students excited about being involved in service work.

"I believe that we are all one family in this planet," Wilson said. "Other members of our family are hurting right now. It is not hard to make a difference, and you don't need a lot of money."

More than 1,000 students heard Wilson speak in Kane hall. The turn out greatly surpassed the number of students that were expected at the event.

Wilson was very disappointed that some students could not fit into the room, Ghadrshenas said.

"But, he stayed until every last person in line got an autograph," she said.

The first 720 students, the room's capacity, were let into the event.

"We have been here since 12 p.m.," said Clair Burns, who had been waiting for admission with two friends.

The three girls came prepared with signs to show their support for Wilson.

Burns and her friends were not the only people anxious to see Wilson. By 5 p.m., the line, starting outside of Kane Hall, had already wrapped around Red Square, up the northwest staircase and had reached the flagpole.

The line was crowded with The Office fans and Wilson fans alike. One member of the crowd dressed up in full costume as Dwight for the event.

Wilson explained that there are not that many similarities between himself and Dwight in everyday life.

"He's more uptight, though we do both like Battlestar Galactica and Lost," he said.

More information can be found about the Mona Foundation at www.monafoundation.org.

[Reach reporter Celia Hunko at news@thedaily.washington.edu.]