Have you wished you could do more than send money to help the tsunami victims? Most of us wouldn’t know where to begin. But Debbie Pennington of Snowmass is on her way to Southern India with medical and other supplies to help those afflicted by the tsunami. As the President of Grassroots Asia, which is based in Snowmass, Debbie is uniquely situated to make a difference. Her destination is the Tamil Nadu region, an area where as many as 8,000 may have perished.

Providing life-saving support to some of the world’s poorest regions is nothing new for Pennington. In fact, she had been scheduled to fly to India before the natural disaster to work on another relief project in a northern town. … Pennington said Grassroots Asia was founded to provide emergency relief, basic care and primary education for vulnerable children. “A lot of our work has been with trafficked children or children [orphaned by] natural disasters,” she said. “All of our stuff is volunteer and 100 percent of all donations go direct to the kids. I finance all of my own expenses and anybody else working with the organization does, too.”

Many in the Roaring Fork Valley have donated to Debbie’s effort:

She will be carrying medical supplies, including sterile gloves, syringes and plastic containers, donated by Aspen Valley Hospital; water purification kits provided for free by the Ute Mountaineer; and tents from Factory Surplus in Glenwood Springs.

From Debbie’s point of view, every little bit helps:

“It’s a small operation, but if we can make a difference for a village then we’ll do it.”

Kudos to Debbie and all who contributed with supplies and money for her journey.