At causelife, we recognize that the work we do is only made possible with the help of our friends and supporters. You make it possible for wells to be dug and lives to be saved. Therefore, we want this year to be more about YOU! Over the course of the year, we are going to highlight some of our friends on our blog to share a little more about them and why they are passionate about clean water. If you are interested in having your story featured on our blog, please contact us at info@causelife.org.
This month, we would like to introduce you to the Dean-Hills! Jake and Jennifer Dean-Hill, and their children Dawson and McKenna, have helped provide two wells through causelife and are hoping to fund one additional well each year. Get to know them a little better through this brief interview:
Left to Right: Dawson, Jake, Jennifer, McKenna
causelife: When did you first learn about the water crisis, and what caused your family to get involved?
Jake and Jennifer: Back in 2009, our family had the opportunity to hear the Children of the World International Children’s Choir at our church in Richland, Washington. Their theme was all about clean water equaling life, and the choir and video shown that night touched all of our hearts. We had to do something . . . so that night we gave a donation. But we could not get the thought out of our heads that so many around the world did not have access to clean water. It felt so wrong that the water we flush our toilets with every day is cleaner than the water most of the world drinks every day. So that next year, we decided to change our giving priorities and put most of our resources into drilling wells to provide clean water to those in need. With all the crises in the world, we felt this was the most efficient way to use our resources to make a significant impact on numerous humanitarian needs around the world. Our kids joined us in the cause and decided to give their tithes to the well fund also.
causelife: You’ve stated that you want to try to fund one well each year. What motivates you to keep giving?
Jake and Jennifer: What keeps us motivated to keep giving is the thought that every day we turn on the faucet anywhere we are and take for granted the clean, drinkable water that comes out. We want to do what we can to allow others to experience the same. Knowing we are making a difference in the lives of many, inspires us to keep striving toward our goal of drilling as many wells as we can. We know that by providing clean water, we are tackling many humanitarian needs at once: children are able to attend school instead of spending their days fetching dirty water from miles away, while keeping them from being abused and raped during their long journey, preventing various diseases that come from unclean water, and improving their entire quality of life. It also has the potential to help neighboring villages who are in need of clean water too.
causelife: It seems that this is a family affair. How do your kids feel about being involved in a project like this?
Dawson: I feel excited and overjoyed about being involved in such an impacting and life-saving motion. What motivates me is the fact that I can do more, and each time we provide a well, tons of people are helped. The fact that we are causing life really keeps me going.
McKenna: I feel so privileged to give what little resources I have to help kids like me be able to get clean water with just a push of a handle. What a blessing it has been in my life alone to see what I have had the privilege to be a part of. I don’t know what is more of a blessing—knowing I’ve provided clean water for others or that it has changed my life as well. It’s so wonderful knowing that when I lay my head down at night, I’ve made a difference in our world today at only 14 years old. What does the future hold?
McKenna and Dawson
causelife: What are some things that you and your family are doing to fundraise?
Jake and Jennifer: Some of the ways we raise funds to provide wells is through our family taking a significant portion of our tithe and placing the funds in a designated bank account until we have enough to pay for another well. We also have an “H2O” jar that we all place our spare change into throughout the year and then add it to the other funds in the bank. We have committed to continue to increase our giving as God richly blesses us.
We are also beginning to work on multiplying our efforts by getting the word out about causelife and inviting family and friends to join us in the cause. We decided to start a campaign this year called the “Choose Water Challenge.” Through our personalized mycause page, we are inviting family and friends to give up beverages they would normally purchase and choose to drink water instead for one week. Then we ask them to give what they would have spent on pop, alcohol, coffee, etc., to causelife to provide clean water to those in need. So, as people choose to join us, they are not only choosing water to drink and giving what they would have spent on another beverage to the cause, they are also choosing to give clean water to the poorest in the world.
We are also increasing awareness by wearing our shirts and bracelets and using our causelife water bottles. Another thing we are going to do is print up business cards with our mycause webpage address on them so we can easily hand them out to get others involved.
causelife: If there is one thing you could share with our readers, what would it be?
Jake and Jennifer: We want to encourage others to give. We are experiencing such a blessing as we give clean water and we want others to experience the same. How could it not feel good to know that your efforts are saving lives? This is leaving a legacy, and it’s teaching our children the importance of having a world view and a heart for the hurting. It leaves a legacy in our country and in the lives of those we help. We are not only leaving a footprint in the U.S. but also a footprint in a dry and weary land . . . a wet print at that.
If you would like to donate to the Dean-Hill’s well fund, please visit their website: my.causelife.org/deanhills. Let’s work together to bring clean water to the world!