APA Sherpa Foundation Announces its First Annual Fundraiser Dinner During Outdoor Retailer Show

Salt Lake City, Utah – January 11, 2013 – The Apa Sherpa Foundation has formally announced its first annual fundraiser dinner, to be held on Friday, January 25, 2013 in the downtown Hilton Grand Ballroom during Salt Lake’s Outdoor Retailer convention. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. and will include a reception, dinner, and keynote speeches from prominent friends of the Apa Sherpa Foundation, Peter Hillary and Broughton Coburn.
 
All proceeds will directly fund the foundation’s efforts to rebuild a school in Apa Sherpa’s hometown, Thame, Nepal. The school was originally built in 1963 by Sir Edmund Hillary and is in dire need of expansion. The foundation’s mission is to empower individuals and communities in the Himalayas and beyond with educational and economic opportunities.
 
Legendary mountaineer Apa Sherpa is a small-statured, friendly man with a tremendously powerful legacy. He earned his nickname, Tiger of the Himalaya, climbing Mt. Everest an unprecedented 21 times. He rose from humble beginnings to become a legendary mountaineer—and then he focused his efforts on a foundation that would develop educational opportunities in his home village. “Without an education, we have no choice,” he observes, noting the great obstacles he had to overcome to obtain a modest education amidst economic hardship.
 
Keynote speakers Peter Hillary and Brot Coborn are notable adventurers in their own right. Hillary is the son of Edmund Hillary, who was the first to summit Everest with Tenzing Norgay in 1953. He has forged his own career as an extraordinary mountaineer and explorer, with expeditions ranging from the Himalayas to the North Pole, the Seven Summits, and beyond.
 
Hillary considers Apa a great and humble mountaineer who has taken on the responsibility of helping support his remote community high in the Himalayas.  “This is really the way aid should work,” explained Hillary.  “When the beneficiaries become the benefactor.  And who better to run it all, than Apa Sherpa?”  he asked.
 
Speaker Broughton Coburn is a national bestselling author of six books, including his recent work, The Vast Unknown: The First American Ascent of Mount Everest. He has worked in development and environmental conservation in Nepal for decades. He currently also teaches a summer college course in Khumbu on the south side of Everest.
 
Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available; sponsors will be highlighted at the event and on the foundation’s website, and they will also enjoy sitting among the keynote speakers at dinner.

Find additional information and purchase individual or group tickets at www.apasherpafoundation.org. Contact Katie Eldridge at 435-640-2554 or Katie@PanicButtonMedia.com for photos and media interviews.