The Peggy Larkin Initiative
Donation protected
Hello!
My name is Richard Larkin McLay and I am a junior political science major at the College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University. I am writing to you in the hopes of raising the necessary funds to support the people of Mele Village in the South Pacific island country of Vanuatu.
In March of 2015, Vanuatu was hit by a category 5 cyclone called Pam. It was one of the worst and most destructive cyclones they have had to endure. It devastated the country, leveling houses and uprooting all plants and trees in its path. Over 70% of the nation’s population was displaced, leaving thousands homeless and in dire need of help.
While immediate international emergency relief aids were successful in their efforts, the island and her people are far from being fully recovered and are predicted to be set back years in development. We are 8 months in since Cyclone Pam, and Vanuatu faces a multitude of problems. They are still rebuilding their homes, cleaning their islands, and trying to recover their lives from the ruins. The people also suffer from agricultural problems as they are experiencing one of the worst droughts they have ever seen. This is because of the weather effect El Niño, and this El Niño is one of the strongest they have ever seen in recorded history.
This is making it extremely difficult for the people to recover and they have a lot working against them. With this El Niño effect, comes drought, which leads to a food crisis as they are not able to grow the necessary amount of food. In addition, since the people face water shortages, this leads many to drink unclean water and in turn, they are seeing increasing levels of water-borne pathogens and diseases like Diarrhea.
This initiative was created to extend a hand to the people in honor of my deceased grandmother Peggy Larkin, who sailed the South Pacific from California and decided to live with and assist those in Mele Village for the last 15 years of her life.
I will be traveling to Vanuatu in late January with my mom and we will spend 2.5 weeks there connecting with people, helping rebuild homes, cleaning, and distributing goods we are collecting that we will ship prior to our departure.
This is where I humbly ask for your help. We are currently collecting a multitude of items and necessities that we sometimes take for granted such as eyeglasses, kids soccer shoes, flip-flops, school supplies, and basic medicine to name some items. I am proud to say we have already had such a positive response and many donations have been made. However, to bring these items overseas is no easy and cheap endeavor. This is where you can help. With the funds raised here, we can ensure that everything we collect goes to the people in Mele Village. Some of these funds will also go towards buying more supplies to bring over, including water filtration systems such as Life Straws.
I can't thank you enough for your time and consideration. Your help would be incredible and mean the world to not only me, but the people in Vanuatu. I've said a lot so I will just end with the words of St. Paul in 1 Corinthians: "If one part suffers, all of the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all of the parts share in its joy".
In the words of the Vanuatu people: Tangkyu tumas! (Thank you very much!)
Richard Larkin
My name is Richard Larkin McLay and I am a junior political science major at the College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University. I am writing to you in the hopes of raising the necessary funds to support the people of Mele Village in the South Pacific island country of Vanuatu.
In March of 2015, Vanuatu was hit by a category 5 cyclone called Pam. It was one of the worst and most destructive cyclones they have had to endure. It devastated the country, leveling houses and uprooting all plants and trees in its path. Over 70% of the nation’s population was displaced, leaving thousands homeless and in dire need of help.
While immediate international emergency relief aids were successful in their efforts, the island and her people are far from being fully recovered and are predicted to be set back years in development. We are 8 months in since Cyclone Pam, and Vanuatu faces a multitude of problems. They are still rebuilding their homes, cleaning their islands, and trying to recover their lives from the ruins. The people also suffer from agricultural problems as they are experiencing one of the worst droughts they have ever seen. This is because of the weather effect El Niño, and this El Niño is one of the strongest they have ever seen in recorded history.
This is making it extremely difficult for the people to recover and they have a lot working against them. With this El Niño effect, comes drought, which leads to a food crisis as they are not able to grow the necessary amount of food. In addition, since the people face water shortages, this leads many to drink unclean water and in turn, they are seeing increasing levels of water-borne pathogens and diseases like Diarrhea.
This initiative was created to extend a hand to the people in honor of my deceased grandmother Peggy Larkin, who sailed the South Pacific from California and decided to live with and assist those in Mele Village for the last 15 years of her life.
I will be traveling to Vanuatu in late January with my mom and we will spend 2.5 weeks there connecting with people, helping rebuild homes, cleaning, and distributing goods we are collecting that we will ship prior to our departure.
This is where I humbly ask for your help. We are currently collecting a multitude of items and necessities that we sometimes take for granted such as eyeglasses, kids soccer shoes, flip-flops, school supplies, and basic medicine to name some items. I am proud to say we have already had such a positive response and many donations have been made. However, to bring these items overseas is no easy and cheap endeavor. This is where you can help. With the funds raised here, we can ensure that everything we collect goes to the people in Mele Village. Some of these funds will also go towards buying more supplies to bring over, including water filtration systems such as Life Straws.
I can't thank you enough for your time and consideration. Your help would be incredible and mean the world to not only me, but the people in Vanuatu. I've said a lot so I will just end with the words of St. Paul in 1 Corinthians: "If one part suffers, all of the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all of the parts share in its joy".
In the words of the Vanuatu people: Tangkyu tumas! (Thank you very much!)
Richard Larkin
Organizer
Richard Larkin McLay
Organizer
Eagan, MN