They build life-saving wells, put roofs over struggling heads and plant trees in devastated regions. So when The Echelon, 30 Seconds to Mars fierce phan army, decides to get together in a major way– you better believe they throw one helluva philanthropic party.
 Their first-ever international conference — Echelon: The Gathering 2012 — was held in Lisbon, Portugal from March 31 to April 1 and we caught up with the organizers, Rita Guerra, 31, from Portugal (@SunshineEchelon) and Cathy Lesko, 20, from Hungary (@cathyleszko) to get the inside deets on this rad rendezvous of the band’s most passionate followers.
Some 150 Echelon from 22 countries including Qatar, Lebanon, Romania, U.S., Australia, and U.K. headed to Portugal in the biggest event ever for the band’s fans. The agenda included presentations like “The Echelon – What does it mean to belong?” and “Mars saved my life – an Echelon’s story” (more on that below!) plus an entire session completely focused on the mystery and magic behind the symbols like the “triad” used on 30STM album covers and swag. Yeah, these kids went DEEP into some Martian mythology, y’all.
But what’s really impressive is how deep they dug when it came to giving back. This Is A Call To Arms (a one-stop shop for all charity-related 30STM endeavors) and The Echelon House (building homes with Habitat for Humanity) were in attendance to share their positive impact plans plus the conference itself donated 622 euros to a local Portuguese animal rescue association as well as 500 euros to other non-profit projects. And oh yeah, the Life on Mars crew also sponsored a baby tiger in Lisbon’s Zoo — how friggin adorbs is that?! Learn more about this inspiring gathering in our Q&A with Rita below– and then take Action with The Echelon below!
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