For schools in Pohnpei, FSM, obtaining funding to adequately maintain basic school services such as classroom supplies and good teachers is a challenge, so funding for schoolyard maintenance and keeping lawns and tropical trees and bushes in check is often lacking.
For Salakak Elementary in Pohnpei, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints made the task of keeping the school grounds neatly landscaped was given a boost with the donation of a riding lawnmower and a flatbed bongo truck.
| Temple Square is always beautiful in the springtime. Gardeners work to prepare the ground for General Conference. © 2012 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. | 1 / 2 |
In a ceremony at Salakak Elementary held on January 30, Stake President Williamson Rodriguez and Brett Child handed over the keys to a riding lawn mower and a flat-bed bongo truck. Previously, Principal Ray had been required to haul away landscaping trimmings and refuse in the back of his smaller, personal vehicle. The donated lawnmower and truck will help him and his staff maintain a well-kept learning environment for Salakak’s students.
Children who attend the school along with their families attended the ceremony and expressed their appreciation for the donation. Each child brought a local food item grown on the island as a thank-you offering to Brett Child and President Rodriguez. “It was incredibly touching,” said Child. “The back of my car was filled with delicious island fruits that these good people brought as gifts. I have never seen people so giving and appreciative.”
Funds for humanitarian donations come from voluntary donations made from members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for the express purpose doing good and helping those in need throughout the world.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is dedicated to helping underfunded schools in Micronesia obtain the resources they need to establish and maintain adequate education opportunities. This coincides with the Church’s mission to help people continually better themselves and achieve the joy and satisfaction that comes from being self-reliant.