Anabel
Our dear friends and family,
It is with a heavy heart that we report the passing of Anabel Reid. Anabel was part of the Wishing Well family at Abilene Christian University. She became friends with us at the office this summer when she spent her own money to come and learn about the water crisis. During our short visit, Anabel joined me in the dream of ending the water crisis in our lifetime. This last Friday as she traveled with a mission group to Medina Children’s Home, her bus overturned, killing her and injuring several others. Although Anabel’s life is over, her dreams do not die with her body. She was not able to see the end of the water crisis in her life time, so we must see it end in ours.
Please join us in celebrating Anabel’s incredible life, love, and passion. Her family has requested that we raise funds to build a clean water well in her honor. You will find ways to donate both on this site and in the blog of our former Managing Director, Ben Fulfer. Ben was very well acquainted with her and her story. I encourage you to read it below.
Do not lose hope. There is more hope now than there has ever been, for every day we draw nearer to hope itself.
Love wins,
Ryan Groves
Wishing Well CEO
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The post below is from Ben Fulfer’s blog:
Death is something I am not prepared to deal with. In no way do I want to think about losing people—especially at a young age.
On the afternoon of November 4th we lost one of the most beautiful souls that I had a chance to know. Anabel Reid was 19, with a smile that would ease the world’s problems even at a quick glance. She had an energy that little kids could not match. She had a passion that no poet, musician, or pastor could convey. Her heart was more pure than could be expressed on this blog. She was truly one of a kind.
But instead of being somber and grim I want to bring out what Anabel showed me: an utter love for life.
I got the opportunity to spend 4 days earlier in the summer with Anabel in Oklahoma City. She and a friend were so passionate about getting clean water to people in need that they got enough money, jumped on a plane and came to OKC to learn everything they could possibly know about ending the water crisis.
At the time I was working for a non-profit, Wishing Well, dedicated to providing clean water to those in developing countries. At Wishing Well we have a great partner called Water4 that are the gurus behind creating and providing the actual tools to people in need.
Anabel wanted to know it all when it came to water.
Water development.
Water technology.
Water awareness.
She once told me, “We all need water, right?”
She wanted to know all the nitty gritty details of the process.
So she flew out… She had no plans. No expectations. She came with an open heart and mind to learn as much as she can so she could impact people herself.
When I picked her up from the airport she was already beaming. Her smile… gosh.. her smiled made me know something was special about this girl. She had a laugh that others would be jealous of. You could tell that she really lived life.
We spent the day driving around OKC looking at odd ball landmarks, checking out my office, eating great food and having amazing conversations.
That night we stayed up all night and spoke about clean water and how we are going to save the billion people who live without water every day.
The next day we went to Water4’s office and dug deep into the issues. Her eyes where glued and we soaked in every single word. This girl wanted everyone to get clean water.
After that she came to the office and my team sat down with her and just talked more about Wishing Well. She kept telling us, “This is the best weekend I have ever had.”
I dropped her off at the airport and she gave me a gift… a leather journal. She had no clue my passion for writing and having a journal. I was floored by the kindness and thought.
I keep that journal close to my heart.
After one small weekend with her, Anabel taught something I hope never to forget. She taught me how to live every single day with a passion. She never let a day pass by for granted.
She really lived life.
In a post by the Washington Post Anabel said this:
I enjoyed the simulation of village and rural settings and all of the hands-on experience. I was able to physically help dig a well which put my dream of working in developing countries into perspective. I learned about the attitude with which I should approach situations and also about the cultures and how to live within them.
Tragically, Anabel was involved in a crash in which a bus from Abilene Christian University (where I am an alumni) flipped. Anabel was pronounced dead at the scene. This life that was such a spark for me was cut way too short.
However…. hope prevails.
The presence of the ACU community are branching together as a family. They are remembering Anabel for the spirit she left. They are celebrating the life through the horrific end.
Even her family knows there is more to this..
Her mom has said through her tears after the crash that, “It is okay… Anabel was never meant for this world, she was always meant for somewhere bigger, and now she is there.”
I do not know if there is somewhere after this world, but today…. I sure hope there is.
At the same time I want to do my part to celebrate and remember Anabel Reid.
In honor of Anabel Reid, I have posted a link to an account. All funds raised in the account will be presented to Wishing Well in the name of Anabel. Her legacy will not end. Her passion will not be gone.
Let us continue the memory of world changer, a life liver, a constant lover, a peacemaker….
Donate 1 dollar.
Donate 1000 dollars.
100% of funds collected will provide clean water to someone in need.
Please read more about Wishing Well and Water4 understand more about Anabel’s love for clean water and give here.
Esther Havens - Rwanda, 2008
We Came. We ‘Stached. We Conquered.
Friends, if you have never been down to Shop Good at 9th and Broadway, you haven’t lived life yet. Seriously, get down there or get on their website and knock yourselves out. Not only are all of their clothes/accessories beautiful, but each item’s sale contributes to a local/international community development project—what could be better?? In addition to their merchandise, we’re also big fans of their crazy cool staff, who were kind enough to invite us to this year’s Mustache Bash!
Mustache Bash is Shop Good’s annual mustache-themed, all day block party (the best idea ever). There’s live music, great food, and silly mustaches everywhere you look. The party benefits a different nonprofit of Shop Good’s choice each year.
This year, Shop Good chose to benefit Sunbeam Family Services, a nonprofit organization that has served children, families and seniors for over 100 years from right here in downtown OKC. The shop’s owners were drawn to Sunbeam’s Early Head Start Program at Emerson Alternative High School, where teen moms with young children are receiving great education and the encouragement they need to graduate.
Shop Good invited the WW crew to be a “vendor” for this year’s bash. As Mustache Bash is an all day outdoor event, and it’s 1000 degrees on average this summer, we decided to host our Water Bar and pass out water bottles to the guests! But we amped it up a bit for the occasion, with lots of help from Adam Brazle.
Our pres, exec director, and 3 interns took on the day and set up the bar, the well, and our booth. We had ginormous help from some amazing volunteers who persevered through the sweltering heat & passed out waters with a smile—underneath their gnarly mustaches, of course.
A couple of our volunteers with our ED Ben as they rock their synthetic ‘staches with his natural ‘stache (impressive, right?).
Our interns made straw ‘staches to pass out with the water bottles—we found out facial hair is popular for all ages!
We hung out, gave out water, sweated a LOT, rocked out with the bands, met some great people, wore our mustaches proudly, and quite frankly, really enjoyed ourselves. It was hard to call the all-day party part of our job, but we’re so thankful we got to share our passions with people who have such amazing hearts! We were pleasantly surprised to see how many people stopped by to hear about the water crisis & ask how they could get involved. The party was chock-full of compassionate world changers, and we absolutely loved getting to meet them.
We were humbled to see how blessed we are and couldn’t have enjoyed our time more! Thank you to all who volunteered, cut out mustaches, built bars, painted signs, and donated water bottles. And ESPECIALLY a big thank you to our friends at Shop Good for having us! We love you guys and can’t wait to work with you again soon!
Want to Join Our Family?
HOORAY, HOORAY! It’s everyone’s dream come true (or so we like to think)—we are now taking applications for interns for this fall!
Applications are due August 19th, so be sure to hurry up and send us yours!
Who exactly do we want, might you ask?
We want world changers. We need people who have heart and want to see real, tangible change in the world. We need you to crave the dirty, hard, sweaty life of peacemakers. This is a chance to chase your dreams and create something that has never been done. This is a chance to grow and stretch and fight for the people who need you as much as you need them.
This is no easy task. We are asking a lot… but if you are up to the challenge, this is the spot for you!
Here’s some basic info:
- Commit 10/15 hours per week in the office with weekend availability for events
- Unpaid
- Internship lasts from Aug 29-Dec 16
- HQ located 2501 East Memorial Rd, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73103
- Still in school? That’s a-okay! We’ll work with you around your class schedule
If you’re interested—and we know you are—email ben@wishforwater.com for more details + an application.
HOWEVER. If you don’t think you want or can commit to an internship… NO WORRIES. You can always volunteer for us as much as you want! We love the help. Stop by, hang out, and share a laugh. Our internship isn’t about helping Wishing Well. It is teaching and growing young people to change the world (we just get a little help along the way). If you have any questions do not hesitate to shoot Ben an email or call him. He would love to help you find a way to reach out with us!
We’re so excited to add some new members to our family, no matter what way you want to be involved.
Come love with us, laugh with us, and change the world with us.
“What is Wishing Well?”
Check out our latest video to hear from our President and Executive Director on what Wishing Well is all about!
Meet the Family
Hello fellow people lovers and world changers!
Wishing Well has been around for about 5 years, and so far with your help we have funded 65 clean water projects in 9 different countries around the world. That’s over 30,000 people who now have access to safe water!
This summer, Wishing Well has been working extra hard to build up our abilities and our opportunities to provide wells for people in need.
We’ve got a brand spankin’ new staff and some crazy ideas on how to get more people involved in providing clean water. We’re so excited for our upcoming plans and to see what Wishing Well will look like as you all help us grow and refine this movement. Be sure to stay updated with us and see what’s next on our agenda so you can get involved!
Without further ado, say hello to the org’s new President (and co-founder/old Executive Director), Ryan Groves!
WHO IS RYAN GROVES?
“I’m the co-founder and new president of Wishing Well: Water for the World and a graduate of Oklahoma Christian University. Five years ago, we began as a small student organization focused on using the power of creativity and community to combat the water crisis. Since then, we’ve been blessed as Wishing Well has grown into a nationwide movement of students and communities using their gifts to fund over 50 clean water projects in nine different countries around the world! Since the start of Wishing Well, I’ve aimed to inspire others and unlock their creative potential to change the world. Now, as president, my plans are to pursue opportunities that allow Wishing Well to explore the power of humanity’s only limitless resource, the power of our ideas. I look forward to working with a new staff and seeing where God takes us.”
Since Ryan has stepped up as el presidente, Wishing Well has taken on Ben Fulfer as the next Executive Director to lead us in combat.
WHO IS BEN FULFER?
“Besides a Social Entrepreneur, striving for a better world while I am lucky to be here, I am a normal kid trying to learn and succeed as much as possible. I hail from the state of Tennessee, and have decided to dedicate my life to tangibly changing the world around me, both abroad and right next door to me. As Wishing Well grows and moves forward in our mission to provide c lean water to the world through the expression of creative communities, I want to be at the forefront of that change. We at Wishing Well have been and always will be an advocate for creativity. We are also an advocate for those without the simple access of clean water. So who is Benjamin Fulfer? Benjamin Fulfer is just like you. I am honored to be a part of a great organization like Wishing Well: Water for the World. I hope you decide to join us as well.”
Joining our president and executive director is our new Chief Financial Officer, Jake Thurman.
WHO IS JAKE THURMAN?
“I grew up in Duncan, Oklahoma and recently graduated from Oklahoma Christian University with a degree in Business Finance. I’m a person that always wants to do more, to broaden my own horizons. Wishing Well caught my attention because of its ambitious goal: to provide clean water to the world. To a young, impressionable freshman this impressive goal seemed impossible, but I soon found out it wasn’t impossible at all. Wishing Well taught me that anyone, with the proper attitude and mindset, can change the world. I’m excited about the journey that lies before me at Wishing Well and in life as a whole. I fully believe there is success in following your dreams and embracing your passions. Believing that you, yourself, can make a difference through your own actions. Wishing Well’s short life has already been a testimony to this.”
Joining these two fellows are 4 summer interns.
Sarah Fatheree is working as Wishing Well’s Event Coordinator. She’s a junior Marketing major from ACU. She’s only been here for about a month and it’s already clear that her first priority is people. Whether it’s striking up a deep life-discussion with her Starbucks barista or reaching out to the homeless man outside of Homelands, Sarah’s heart is driven by relationships. She’s thrilled to have this opportunity to reach out & network for a cause she cares about!
Breyna Fries is WW’s Product Development Manager. She is a senior graphic design major at the Savannah College of Art and Design. She has been working on a super secret, awesome new product that we hope to have ready by the end of this summer! She also does some miscellaneous design work for Wishing Well projects. Besides art, she has always had a passion for getting to know people. She believes it’s very important to gain an outside perspective in life, and her open heart has led her to use her talents to help anyone she can. She’s excited to fuse her passion and creativity to take WW to a new level!
Luke Hankins, a sophomore Computer Science major from OC, is working as WW’s Media Specialist. He will be creating videos for Wishing Well, as well as updating our website. He’s already taken on the role as the sarcastic, witty younger brother in the office. He dabbles in many diverse skills, from running to baking to Harry Potter knowledge. He’s driven, diligent, and determined to be perfect at what he does. And we could not love him more!
Last but not least, Macy McArthur is WW’s Social Media Manager. She’s a junior Speech Pathology major from ACU. She will be keeping the Wishing Well Twitter, Facebook, and blog up to date on our work this summer and the plans we have for the fall! She enjoys long walks on the beach, dogs, and Chinese food. She actually does, though. She will try her best to keep y’all informed on all things Wishing Well while letting y’all in on the craziness and love of our family here in the office.
Keep in touch with any suggestions and feedback for any of the staff! We would love to hear from you and how to better this organization. You can find out how to contact us here.
This summer, Wishing Well wants to emphasize our interest in using creativity as the foundation for the changes we want to make in the world. If we can use our creativity to discover new ideas that will help us fight the water crisis, we believe it will inspire and fuel others to come up with their own ideas to make a change. We know that this domino effect throughout our community can end the water crisis completely.
We can’t wait to see where this summer takes us & we hope to plant some insightful ideas that will prompt all of you to get involved and partner with us to help the world!
Who wants to give clean water?
MATT JOSEF
who you are: Matt Josef is an artist currently working from his studio on the Plaza in Oklahoma City. He is primarily a figurative oil painter, and also sculpts and makes jewelry. He told us he sold his first pair of paper machete earrings when he was 4 years old! He loves to travel with his Australian Shepherd, “Rad,” and set up his camp in the mountains where he can find a fresh environment to paint in.
what you do: One of Matt’s favorite artists is Willem de Kooning, who is known for his abstract impressio nistic paintings. Matt is inspired by de Kooning’s style & said he was moved by the idea of art becoming something “not pretty,” or “not graceful.” He’s intrigued by the idea of making something that is crude or ugly, but still something to be appreciated.
why Wishing Well? When talking to Matt about why he wanted to get involved, he said it was time to do something good and give back. He said he chose Wishing Well because water is so basic, it just makes sense to help since he is able to. He said, “everybody should have water, I can’t do anything with out water. Nothing on this side of heaven could matter more than clean water.”
Esther Havens. Rwanda, 2008.