Ryan’s Well Founder Ryan Hreljac Visits Merrickville PS to Thank Students for $1,428 Donation
(Pictured above: Jimmy Akana (left) and Ryan Hreljac of the Ryan's Well Foundation speak to grades 2/3 students at Merrickville Public School today.)
(Merrickville) – Ryan’s Well Foundation founder Ryan Hreljac, along with his Ugandan friend and adopted brother Jimmy Akana, visited Merrickville Public School today to congratulate the grades 2/3 students for raising $1,428 for the foundation.
“My class has been researching about the lack of clean water in the world, and how to change this by learning about empathy,” said teacher Morgan David McQuay. “We decided to raise money for a week for the foundation. The students were asked to bring in spare change to donate, but many of them were so inspired that they did household chores to raise extra money. They even went to neighbours and family members to tell them Ryan’s story.”
By the end of the week, students raised $688. McQuay, along with a generous anonymous parent, matched the total raised which made the grand total $1,428. Students also created artwork and wrote paragraphs for the Character Education bulletin board, demonstrating how Hreljac was empathetic toward those in the world who lacked clean water.
“The foundation was so impressed with our efforts that Ryan, who is now home from university, wanted to come visit our class to congratulate the students and answer any questions they had,” said McQuay. “I didn’t tell the students that Ryan and Jimmy were coming today. They were so surprised.”
Hreljac and Akana told students all about how the Ryan’s Well Foundation came to be. They discussed how the foundation has helped to create 600 water projects in central and western Africa, as well as in Haiti.
“The foundation has been around for about 10 years, but I’ve been doing this for about 14 years,” Hreljac said. He talked about how he first learned about clean water issues in other parts of the world. In 1998, when he was in grade 1, his teacher told his class that not all people have access to clean water. Some have to walk for hours to get water that’s dirty.
“I went home and asked my parents to help,” he said. “For four months, I would vacuum, wash windows, and clean up after the ice storm of 1998 to get an allowance.”
Hreljac earned $70, but it took about $2,000 to build one well in Uganda. That’s when he started speaking to community groups like the Rotary Club to help him raise the funds.
Although he’s come a long way since then, he said there is always more work to do.
“There are still one billion people who still don’t have clean water,” he said. “That’s about one in six.”
Hreljac is currently studying political science and international development at the University of King’s College in Halifax. Although he’s not sure what his plans are after he completes university, he said he’ll always play a role in the foundation.
Student Tavo Stringel raised over $100 – the most in his class – by asking family and friends for donations at home and at a float decorating party.
“It’s important because people are walking miles and miles each day to get water,” he said. “The dirty water makes them sick and that’s why I wanted to help the Ryan’s Well Foundation.”
Posted: December 22, 2011