As we continue to grow as an organization, the one thing that has continued to amaze us is how the involvement of one person can make such a huge impact on the world around them.  We've been incredibly blessed to have great volunteers, supporters and event hosts who, by taking that first step to spread the word about Wine to Water, ended up increasing our support base exponentially.  We're excited to share some of their stories in the weeks and months to come.

Appalachian State University became our first university to have an official Wine to Water club on campus this year.  The students that got involved ended up becoming some of our best advocates on campus and in their hometowns.   Below is the story of how it all got started from last year's president, Josh Elliott.

"In 2009 I heard about Wine to Water through a few friends of mine. So, curious to learn more, I decided to tag along and hear more about the organization at a meeting being held by one of their staff members. I had never heard about the worlds water crisis, so to say I was in disbelief when I heard that nearly one billion people in the world didn’t have access to clean water  is an understatement. I left the meeting slightly depressed and mad because of my ignorance. However I was also encouraged to hear that three ordinary folks were standing up against such a daunting problem.

Later that night my buddy, Jordan Howell, and I decided to grab a beer and talk over what we could do to help. We had walked away from the meeting with similar sentiments, so as we talked it became clear that we had to do something. Being students at ASU we decided to start a university club to get students involved in raising funds and awareness for the organization. We didn’t know much about the world’s water crisis and had no idea how to run a club but decided “what the hell”, let’s give it a whirl. With overwhelming support from the organization and countless friends at ASU, we became the first club in the country affiliated with Wine to Water.

Now, looking back over the past two years I am still amazed at the opportunities we’ve been given. Wine to Water has truly been too good to me and the club. This past spring break we had the chance to take eight students from our ASU club to Wine to Water’s project in Trujillo, Peru. There we distributed water filters and did some construction with their partner on the ground, Inca Link. That week I got to see passionate people connect directly with the folks they cared so deeply for. I myself came back with a new perspective. With my last semester of school approaching, we’ve passed the clubs leadership to a new group of students who without a doubt will do bigger and better things than we were ever able to do. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for them and their efforts.

I’ve made lifelong friends through this organization and I can’t thank Chelsea, Annie, Jessup, Kyle, and Doc enough for their commitment to fighting for those who can’t fight for themselves. If you’re passionate about something, don’t hesitate to take that leap. You won’t regret it."