Habari Wine to Water Team --that's you!

I recently returned from Uganda, where we are doing a large biosand filter push.  Along with our partners, Connect Africa, we will have manufactured 250 biosand filters between our two community resource centers, in Kigumba and Attiak, by the end of August!  Our local staff has trained village leaders who help manufacture these filters which are made simply from concrete, gravel, and media sand...all locally available.  The filters are installed in rural homes near our centers where clean water is greatly needed. The footprint of those we are able to reach is growing rapidly as all of these will be installed by September.  These 250 biosand water filters for this quarter will provide clean water for over 3,000 Ugandans who have been suffering without it.  We are planning to manufacture and distribute even more filters next quarter.  Excellent work team!

Kyle Lomax

Greetings, Wine to Water friends, family and supporters!

This is a bittersweet blog post for me as it is my last day at Wine to Water.  I recently accepted a position with the American Cancer Society in New York, an organization and place that are both very dear to me.  This decision was not taken lightly and I lost countless hours of sleep praying and debating over my decision.  In the end, however, I know I am going where God is leading me to serve right now.

Wine to Water has been one of the biggest parts of my life over the last two years and I can't imagine I'll every come across a finer group of people than the crew that works here tirelessly every single day.  This staff has been like a family to me in the time I've been here and working with them has given me some of the greatest joy and most incredible memories of my life.  I wouldn't trade a single second here for anything and I will miss working with Doc, Annie, Jessup, Kyle, Scott and Josh more than I can put into words.  If you haven't met any of them before, but you have supported the organization, I assure you that your support, donations and prayers have not gone in vain.  Each person here handles every letter, donation and word of encouragement as if it were the first one to ever come to the organization.  No donation is too small and every single supporter is important. 

I have loved working with those of you that have hosted and event or volunteered in your community or at your school.  I consider myself to have had the best position because I was able to work first hand with people that give of themselves every single day because they want to make a difference in someone else's life.  Thank you for setting the example of what we should all strive to do more.

I will continue to support this organization in the next chapter of my life because I know that it is making a difference in the lives of those it benefits.  Thank you to the crew here in the office for what you do to help others and thank you for being incredible friends.  I am a better person for having known each of you.

I'll be seeing you soon...

Chelsea

We have been fortunate enough to find great support from a group of people in Seattle, WA.  Below is the story of Wine to Water supporter, volunteer, donor and event host, Brian Friske.

"My wife and I got involved with Wine to Water back in May 2010.  Seeing Doc's story and his burden for people who lacked clean water really challenged us in our hearts to try and help.  After being apart of an amazing wine tasting in Seattle that raised thousands of dollars towards the water crisis, my passion was elevated to another level.  I had the very rare opportunity to travel to Cambodia to see first hand the drillings and installation of wells which were directly funded from the fundraiser I was apart of.  Seeing the impact of providing a community clean water through this organization has truly shown my wife and I that there is no better investment with finances when it saves lives.  This is what has driven me to be actively apart of Wine to Water, who's passion, desire, and leadership are savings lives and building communities all over the world."

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."

A week ago, a group of eight Appalachian State University students returned from visiting our water projects in Peru with our partner on the ground, Inca Link.  Over the next week, we'll be sharing some of their favorite stories and experiences on the trip.  Our first post comes from Katy Cook, who has been volunteering with Wine to Water since she was in high school:

"The ASU Wine to Water Club gave me the chance to travel to Trujillo, Peru to fight the water crisis.  Now, after being involved with Wine to Water for the past 4 years, I was obviously not going to pass up this opportunity, but never did I think that I would fall so deeply in love with this selfless work.  In the capital city of Peru alone, 1 million people lack access to clean water.  Statistics like that carry little weight until you’ve seen the truth first hand.  I saw sick children in desperate need of clean water and met adults who were wholly unaware of the effects of the contaminated water they were drinking.  I was finally able to take a step away from simply reiterating statistics and directly influence the lives of others.  Passing out water filters and explaining the importance of clean water and hygiene was the most rewarding thing I have done.  I was able to build relationships with my Wine to Water team members, with the locals, and especially with the children.  The trip was very humbling and taught me so much about myself—my spirituality, my capabilities, and my goals.  The hardest realization was that, even after all the filters were passed out to these families, we only made the tiniest dent in Peru’s water crisis.  I hope to return in the near future and persistently press on with my fight for clean water.  I am so thankful for the support I received from Wine to Water, Inca Link, local community members, and businesses.  I went to Peru to change lives, but my life is forever changed."

Happy Thanksgiving Week to everyone! People often use Thanksgiving as a time to look back over their year and reflect on the things they are thankful for, so I figured I'd do the same from the Wine to Water perspective. What a year it has been for this organization! I know we do this in every single blog post, but we honestly would not be where we are without such incredible supporters. Every single one of you has played a part in spreading the word about Wine to Water and more importantly, the water crisis. Because of that, we have been able to reach thousands more this year in countries like Cambodia, Uganda, Haiti and Ethiopia, to name a few. This year also marked the launch of our first university run Wine to Water club! These students have become some of our greatest ambassadors in spreading awareness and information on the water crisis, not only to their class mates, but to their hometowns. It has been a true pleasure to work with this talented and passionate group of students at Appalachian State University. We have had great things to celebrate on a personal level as well. In March, Doc and his beautiful wife Amber welcome their second boy, Justice and in October our vice president, Annie married our wine director, Jessup! Looking back, it's been a whirlwind of a year, but a great one. On a personal note, I am beyond grateful to have been given the opportunity to be a part of this organization. Working with Doc, Annie, Jessup and our amazing interns and volunteers has been a life changing experience that has brought me such great joy and contentment and they are what I am most grateful for this Thanksgiving. I hope all of you enjoy time with your families and friends over the next few days! We are grateful and appreciate each one of you! -Chelsea