BERKELEY – A 9-year-old girl was thanked for her donation of flip flops and a soccer ball which made it all the way to Djibouti.
Using her own money, she bought the items and sent them along to a military base, said Lloyd Mullikin, a Bayville man who collects items for soldiers and mails them overseas – sometimes at his own expense.
One of his connections is a military chaplain in Djibouti, in the northern part of Africa. The chaplain takes care of troops, and also refugee camps in the area.
“It is wonderful to see the difference one young person can make to the lives of children half a world away,” he said.
The thank you letter from Capt. Donald Mooney read as follows:
“On behalf of the Religious Affairs office here at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, I would like to personally thank you Karissa, for taking the time and effort to take up donations to send to our office. The donations that we receive we take to a local nonprofit organization, Caritas, run by the Catholic Church. They take on the responsibility of feeding, clothing, and cleaning up the refugee street children here. They will definitely use the flip flops, and they just love playing soccer. Once again you have touched the lives of numerous children here in Africa.”
Arrangements can also be made to pick up donations dropped off at businesses, organizations, or from individuals. Please call 732-269-1397 for more information.
