The public is invited to the Marion Music Hall on January 16 at 7:00 pm, as Sally Hunsdorfer shares tales of her extraordinary experiences with the people and culture of Nepal. Ms. Hunsdorfer, a long-time Marion resident, is an inveterate adventurer, with a focus on activism and community outreach. She is a founding member of the Marion Institute, an organization dedicated to identifying and promoting programs that seek to enhance life for the Earth and its inhabitants by encouraging a deeper understanding of the past, a dynamic experience of the present, and a passionate vision of a healthy future. Through the Marion Institute, Ms. Hunsdorfer started The Himalayan Project, a sponsored initiative which encourages cultural preservation of indigenous people of the Himalayas through education, community development, and social outreach.
Her deep connection to the Himalayan region began over fifteen years ago. During a backpacking trip around the world, she and her family spent two months in Nepal. They were invited into the Sherpa culture, living and working in the mountain village of Chaurikharka, about a week’s walk from Mount Everest. From that moment in 1998 until the present, the connection with the Sherpas and their ancient, indigenous culture has completely captured the heart and passion of Sally, who returns at least once annually. With her polar fleece project, The Namaste Connection, she and her Sherpa ‘team’ trek into very remote areas to distribute the jackets collected by school children in the US. Other Himalayan Project activities include raising critical support for the expansion of one of only two schools in the Everest region that go through grade 12 and creating the Sherpa Cultural Center, to nurture a spirit of self confidence, social responsibility, environmental awareness and cultural pride
Sponsored by the Sippican Historical Society and the Elizabeth Taber Library, the presentation is free and open to the public, with no reservations required. For more information, please call 508-748-1116.