From: Audrey
I NEED YOUR HELP!
Dear Family & Friends,
I am writing to you because I have discovered a wonderful opportunity for an experience that is bound to change my life. I am requesting your support for a humanitarian aid project organized by Alliance for Youth Service (AYS).
I want to help for a number of reasons. Foremost, the service project our group will be working on will be to tackle the health and hygiene issue in Fiji by installing flush sewer systems and allowing for the basic hygiene necessity of a simple toilet in villager’s homes. I will be working right along side the people of this village in helping them better their lives. Currently, most of the villagers possess pit toilets which create many hygiene-related health issues and provide a very unsanitary environment. The organization I have chosen to help, AYS, works to organize LDS oriented service expeditions for youth. This summer AYS is working with Peter Lee, a church volunteer who works for the Church Welfare department in Fiji and the surrounding islands. He is helping to organize a group of volunteers to build these additions in Fiji, and I hope to be one of them. The Fijian people are surrounded by poverty with over a quarter of the population living below the basic needs poverty line. 
You can visit the Alliance for Youth Service website at www.ays.org to find out more about the program, see pictures of past expeditions to other countries, and read what previous participants have said about the experience.
This is not a luxury trip, I will be working hard, but I am excited about the opportunity to share my time, talent and energy with others by helping the people there. I also expect to learn a lot about myself and Fijian culture and people as I work alongside them.
The cost of participating in the AYS 16-day program, which includes travel, food, lodging, transportation and building materials, is $2495.00. I am working hard to raise this money through a variety of projects. Since all volunteers are responsible for covering their own expenses, I would be grateful for any donation you can make. My average cost will be about $155 per day. Please consider sponsoring a half day, a day, or more. Checks should be payable to Alliance for Youth Service and sent to me at the address below.
It seems we’d all like to help those less fortunate than ourselves, but we often don’t know how. You can help sponsor me, while at the same time, help villagers receive the much needed medical attention they deserve. Any amount is appreciated and every donation makes a difference. If you choose to lend your support, you’ll be pleased to know that AYS is an all-volunteer organization so 100% of your contribution goes directly to aid this project. AYS is also an IRS 501(c)(3) organization so your gift is tax deductible. Checks should be made out to AYS and mailed to me. Should you have any questions about this volunteer humanitarian program, please call me at (425)844-9814. Your support, as well as that of your friends who might be interested in endorsing my endeavor, would be greatly appreciated. I look forward to sharing this extraordinary experience with you when I return.
Thank you in advance for your support,
Yours truly,
Audrey
P.S. So far I have earned about $30. I have to make an $800 down payment by Feb. 1st, so any donations you could make as soon as possible would go a long way! And if you have any jobs that I could help you out with please let me know! Thanks!
