Mallory Beach charity Mal’s Palz revives efforts after COVID pandemic

Mallory Beach loved animals, especially puppies. She rescued them, fostered them, snuggled with them and even buckled them up in her car for drives around the countryside.

“She always had an animal with her or would pick up strays and bring them home,” her mother, Renee Beach, said of her late daughter, who had been a college student at the University of South Carolina when she died in a boating accident on Feb. 24, 2019, in Beaufort County waters.

In those early morning hours, Beach and five friends were in a boat owned by disbarred South Carolina attorney Richard “Alex” Murdaugh and allegedly piloted by his intoxicated son Paul when it crashed into a bridge structure in Archers Creek.

While Beach was killed, several others in the boat were injured.

Beach’s death launched criminal investigations and multiple lawsuits and is having an impact that continues to ripple throughout the Lowcountry as part of the internationally known Murdaugh crime saga, but her grieving family is pleased that at least one of those ripples may result in something positive for the Hampton County community she called home.

Beach family turned tragedy into charity, but then COVID struck

In the months after Beach’s death, a nonprofit foundation, Mal’s Palz, was founded in her memory to raise money to build a new Hampton County animal shelter or improve and add to the existing shelter.

That fundraising effort took off, and in July 2019 The Hampton County Guardian reported that Mal’s Palz had already raised $47,094.

“Mallory loved animals so much that we thought this would bring a positive for the community, keep her memory alive and help the animal shelter at the same time,” said Renee Beach. “But we knew it was going to take a long time and it wouldn’t happen overnight.”

After the strong start, local logistical problems and setbacks came, and then the COVID-19 pandemic struck, shutting down normal activities in the Lowcountry and most of the world.

In the wake of the pandemic, the charitable movement lost momentum, and many people in the community mistakenly thought that the nonprofit foundation had disbanded, said Renee Beach.

Now, three years later, Beach and her family want local supporters and animal lovers throughout South Carolina and abroad to know that Mal’s Palz is still active and is reenergized and ready to accomplish the dreams and goals that would make Mallory proud.

“We just want to let the community know that this is something we are committed to do and will continue to do,” Renee Beach said. “Our goal, our passion, is to do this for Mallory’s memory.”

Mallory's mother also announced that a new account has been established at Palmetto State Bank, as well as a PayPal link, and to date $51,597.52 has now been raised and is secure, ready to be put to use in Hampton County, with efforts underway to raise more.

Mal’s Palz is a charitable foundation registered with the South Carolina Secretary of State, The Guardian has verified, and the family is working on finalizing its tax-exempt status. It is operated by a board of directors that includes family members and interested volunteers.

All money raised will be used to construct a new animal shelter in Hampton County, or make improvements to the existing shelter. No money is expected to be used for the foundation's administrative costs or operational costs at the local shelter, nor will any money be used for any organization or projects outside the county, Renee Beach said.

What will it take to build a new Hampton County animal shelter?

Beach said that her family hopes to turn the narrative on some of the negative things that have been happening in Hampton County.

“Positive things are going to happen for Hampton County. I know it, and I’m excited,” Beach said. “Mallory would love that she had a part in helping get this done.”

Making the Beach family's dream come true will require a public-private partnership. Public funding, perhaps in the form of grants, may need to be secured to add to the money raised by the charity, then the county will have to go through a formal planning and bidding process, as with any public construction project.

The Beach family foundation is looking for the Hampton County Council and interested county officials to partner with them and helps put the money they raise to good, responsible use, but a county liaison or subcommittee may need to be created to work closely with the nonprofit group.

Fortunately, there are some interested county officials and local volunteers.

“I support any efforts to help make Hampton County a better place, and the animal shelter is a vital piece of that,” said one county councilmember, Noah Alexander. “I fully support what Mal’s Palz has done and continues to do. Raising $51,000 is no small feat. I would love to work with Mal’s Palz to build a relationship so we can help make our county animal shelter become better.”

Camille Welch, who is running for County Council and frequently volunteers at the Hampton County Animal Shelter, said that she has been in contact with the Beach family in the past and fully supports the foundation.

“Their hearts are absolutely in the right place, and if there is anything that I can do to help facilitate this, I’ll be happy to do it,” Welch said. “I’ll bend over backward to help in any way I can.”

Welch said that while Hampton County has many needs, an adequate animal shelter shouldn’t be the least among them.

“We have to have a county animal shelter; it’s a case of public safety,” said Welch. “So Mal’s Palz is a win-win. It benefits the county and it’s a wonderful memorial to Mallory, and I’ll do what I can to help.”

The current shelter is located in Varnville, across from the Hampton County Sheriff’s Office and Detention Center in an area that once housed jail “trustees” and “chain gang” inmates. The current shelter is not handicap-accessible, has only 24 kennels and lacks adequate washing and examination tables, according to a July 2019 report in The Hampton County Guardian.

While Hampton County officials don’t have an official estimate of what it will cost to build an entirely new animal shelter, County Administrator Rose Dobson-Elliott estimated in 2019 that it could cost roughly a half-million dollars. Since then, however, inflation has struck, so a renovation and expansion of the existing facility may be a more approachable option.

The Beach family hopes to spark a wave of support that could help Mal's Palz gather even more donations and help the county obtain grants from various agencies and other foundations, Beach added.

A site for a new shelter has not yet been identified.

How do I support Mal’s Palz?

Mal’s Palz has a Facebook page, and funds are being raised by the sale of T-shirts, wrist bands, lip balm, stickers and other Mal’s Palz items, as well as from donations. Fundraising events could be planned in the future.

Anyone wishing to donate to Mal’s Palz is asked to deposit donations at Palmetto State Bank with checks payable to "Mal’s Palz" with the memo “In Memory of Mallory Beach.” The back of the check should note “Deposit only in memory of Mallory Beach.” Donations may also be made through a PayPal portal: paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=3XLY6ESYZD8CG.

For more information, or to make other contributions, contact Lynn Reavis at 803-942-2759, or email malspalz2019@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Mallory Beach charity Mal’s Palz revives efforts after COVID pandemic