Hanover
Now in its 30th year, the event that takes place at the United Church of Christ at Dartmouth College, continues to grow. The market begins this Thursday and runs through Sunday. In addition to that milestone, Sibley, 91, will be honored with an award from the United Valley Interfaith Project.
To hear Sibley, of Etna, recall the market’s history, it all started when she and friend Hyun Hee Kim were looking for a place to sell sweaters made by women in three different cooperatives that the duo had started in South Korea, Nepal and New Hampshire.
Sibley and her late husband, John, were Protestant missionaries from 1959-1986 in Asia, including many years in South Korea. In 1980, Sibley and Kim became aware of the plight of Vietnamese women who were refugees in Seoul.
“They were very much on their own,” Sibley recalled during an interview in the midst of Christmas market preparations at the church. “She and I wanted to help in some way.”
Kim, an accomplished knitter, thought of teaching the fiber art. The pair approached a Catholic priest who was assisting the families.
“We went to him and made our offer to teach knitting,” Sibley said. He agreed, but told them “not to expect much because they’ve tried other things.”
But the refugees took to the project and began producing beautiful sweaters. Next, Sibley and Kim set out to find a market for them, which they found in South Korea and Japan. But they needed more places to sell them. When Jean and John Sibley returned to Hanover in 1987, Sibley approached the church’s Outreach Board, which eagerly took it on.
“Within just a few weeks, we had our first market,” Sibley said. And after that, there was no stopping its growth. One of the characteristics that makes the market stand out is that all the proceeds go back to the makers of the products themselves. This means, for example, that items contributed by the Association for Craft Producers in Nepal directly benefit the people who make them.
Last year, the market raised $76,000 from more than 1,000 customers for about 20 nonprofit organizations.
“I just asked for a way to sell sweaters,” Sibley said. “I don’t in any way want the credit for it: We always did it together.”
It’s the together part that’s kept the market going every year. It has more than 100 volunteers and has always been chaired by women.
“It’s just grown from year to year,” said volunteer Joan Schaafsma. The sweaters are no longer sold at the market, but new products are always appearing. “I like that it is such a difference from buying in the box stores or online. It’s so much more personal. These gifts have meaning.”
Each season for the past 30 years, Sibley can be found at the Church of Christ ahead of time, assisting with market preparations.
“We have a lot of fun,” she said. “All of us working together on it, we can get to know people we might not have otherwise gotten to know.”
And help people who otherwise might not be helped.
Editor’s note: The Christmas Market with a Difference takes place Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., at the Church of Christ at Dartmouth College at 40 College St.
There is free parking on College Street in front of Dartmouth Hall, or in the Thompson Arena parking lot, with shuttle service running directly between the Thompson Lot and the church. Place a sign on your dashboard that says “CCDC Christmas Market” if you park in the Thompson Lot. On Saturday only, the Dewey Lot near the Geisel School of Medicine and the Maynard Lot on Maynard Street also will be available for parking.
For more information, visit http://www.ccdcucc.org/christmas-market-with-a-difference.html or call 603-643-3150.
Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.
