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It was a rainy evening in New York City on Friday, September 30th. But the rain did not stop the Nepali diaspora living in the Tri-state region from attending the Dashain Happy Hour organized by the HELP NEPAL Network (HeNN), U.S. The event brought together professionals and students for a casual gathering to celebrate the advent of Dashain, the biggest Nepali festival.
The well attended event was held on the second floor of Sutton Place Bar in the Turtle Bay area of Manhattan. HeNN volunteers supplied wristbands engraved with the organization’s name and a welcome card listing special Dashain themed drinks. Slide show of images of the organization’s various projects played on two television screens throughout the evening. Many attendees new to HeNN’s projects were able to talk about HeNN causes and find ways to support them.
Nepali music played in the bar while guests enjoyed sel roti and Dashain themed drinks – named with nostalgic Nepali and Dashian symbols like Sayapatri (Prosecco with strawberry), Changaa (Kahlua and cinnamon) and Damaru (Gin, Tonic and mint). The casual gathering, scheduled from 6pm-9pm, was buzzing with conversation and laughter among Nepali and non-Nepali guests, many of whom continued to mingle late into the night.
HeNN, U.S. Executive Committee members Abhaya Shrestha, Prerana Shrestha, Parul Pande and Bipul Mainali were busy mingling with the crowd and talking to them about HeNN’s cause and urging them to volunteer and contribute to the cause. Guests were able to donate to HELP NEPAL Network at the event with cash or a credit card, even though HeNN’s main goal of the event was to generate publicity for their cause. Guests seemed enthusiastic about the organization’s work and impact within communities in Nepal. To date, HeNN has completed almost 100 projects in various parts of Nepal, building schools, digital libraries and health centers and conducting health camps in remote parts of the country.
HELP NEPAL Network builds schools, libraries and health centers for the underprivileged in Nepal in partnership with local communities. For more information on the organization, visit http://www.helpnepal.net.
