Ultimate Woman International UWI Winter 2018 | Page 25

Meet …. Laura Larkin
Retired and relaxing, not this woman! I have been a volunteer
since I was 14 years old. Raised a family of seven children and
continued my volunteer work as a Court Appointed Special
Advocate for Foster Children (CASA) while working full-time
for The City of Phoenix as a Senior Technology Specialist.
In 2011 I decided to embark on a journey to volunteer across
the globe at an orphanage in Barlad, Romania. My goal was
to volunteer in a different country every year. However, I fell in
love with the children and the city and Romania.
In the midst of retiring and launching a business, I found the
sadness and guilt from leaving the orphanage after six years
of volunteering and how nothing had changed for these
children. They still had no home to go to, no family to love
them, and for the most part, no school to attend.
Before retirement, I started Lily today Senior Placement agency; my journey still seemed to be
pulling me to volunteerism. Low and middle-income seniors were the ones calling me with over-
whelming pleas of desperation for affordable housing. I was supposed to be making money and
was looking forward to a lucrative business career in my next phase of life.
The Universe had other plans for me, and The Delia Foundation was born. One Foundation with
two projects. Vibrant Kids Center in Barlad Romania for special needs orphans and Blu-Village
Co-Housing and Connections in Phoenix for middle-income seniors.
I am now phasing my business out to concentrate my time 100% on my Foundation. I have
found this career the most rewarding along with the learning on how a 501 (C) 3 operates.
We will also be starting an NGO in Romania in the spring.
Nothing is impossible, and I still have so many goals and things I want to achieve. You're never
too old to live the life you have always dreamed.
Delia Foundation
3655 W Anthem Way Suite a-109
PMB359
Anthem, AZ 85086
480.600.7950
www.deliafoundation.org
Ultimate Woman International Magazine
December 2018