Elisabeth Gick returns to Telluride’s Wilkinson Public Library with third all-Tibet program

10 Mar Elisabeth Gick returns to Telluride’s Wilkinson Public Library with third all-Tibet program

[click "Play" button to hear Susan's interview with Elisabeth Gick]

As part of Telluride's week-long "Phenomenal Woman" Celebrations" Telluride Inside…and Out honors longtime local Elisabeth Gick and her crusade for Tibet.

Elisabeth is bit like Alice of Wonderland fame: her native curiosity always gets the better of her. She falls down holes and meets amazing people in exotic places. She also tries to make a difference.

For several years now, Elisabeth has been traveling in Asia, particularly in Tibet, where she has made friends and made a difference. For example, she is doing what she can for 82 young girls, all orphans, whom she met with daughter Lesley in October 2008, while visiting the town of Ganzi in upper Kham. Thanks to her efforts and the generosity of family and friends such as the Lifton-Zolines, the girls now have two solar hot water showers and will soon have a library. A third initiative involves raising funds for traditional outfits. Elisabeth is $800 short of that goal.

On Tuesday, March 10, 6:00 pm, Elisabeth and Scott Doser, program director at the Wilkinson Public Library, co-host the third in a series of programs about Tibet. "Tibet: the Return to Darkness" shines a light on ongoing challenges facing the country and its people on the anniversary of the exact day when the country's unarmed struggle for cultural and religious autonomy began 60 years ago.
Like last year this time, Tibetans passively resist. They march in protest. They shout out for freedom and independence. They secretly print flyers calling for the return of their leader, the Dalai Lama, and distribute them. They risk every bit they have (including their lives) to bring about change, and China reacts with intimidation and harassment.

The one-hour program unfolds as follows:
• A screening of the Tibetan made film "Leaving Fear Behind."  The filmmakers traveled thousands of miles, asking ordinary Tibetans to express in their own words how they truly feel about the Dalai Lama, China, and the Beijing Olympics. The resulting 25 minutes of interviews are a remarkable portrayal of ordinary Tibetans and their stories of hardship and courage.
• A gallery of Tibetan resistance fighters
• Readings from the stories of female resistance fighters
• A guided meditation with Nancy Anderson

To donate to the orphanage, send checks to the Telluride Institute's Tibet Fund, PO Box 1770, Telluride, CO, 81435