Superkids: What do a Book in Colorado and a Book in Tibet Have in Common? Helena Long

Helena Long may not look like a stereotypical librarian, but this eighth grader has already established libraries in Nepal and Tibet. In 2005, while planning a trip to Nepal, Helena wanted to take something she could leave with the children there. She settled on crayons and other art supplies and asked her classmates to donate the supplies to students at a school in Mustang Province, Nepal. When she and her parents delivered the supplies, the people in the remote village were very grateful, and they asked Helena to bring books if she were ever to return. Faster than you can say, “Your wish is my command,” Helena geared up for her next challenge. During her sixth and seventh grade years, she collected nearly 3,000 books for her friends in Nepal.
Collecting the books was the easy part; raising the money for shipping, packaging the books and getting them to Nepal was another story—the final leg of the journey requires four days on horseback, with each horse carrying 50-pound sacks of books. Did we mention that Helena is one heck of a determined girl?
The books have now made their way into brand-new libraries in Ghilling, Nepal and Lhasa, Tibet. This year, Helena plans to collect books for another library, this time at a nunnery in Tsareng, Nepal. And Helena is producing a documentary about her trip and her experiences in Nepal. Look for it someday in a theater near you! To find out how you can help Helena on her mission, call Wind Horse Power at 303.442.3781.