ADVOCATE PROJECT

I think the following statement captures the heart of the amazing organization I want to spotlight for this post called the Isaiah Project. This statement is found on their  website: “For over six years, David Ross, The Water Man, has been handing out bottles of water, one at a time, to the homeless and displaced in Downtown San Diego. Living on Social Security, David spends most of his income on people who need it more than him.”

Occasionally in life you meet people who inspire you not by what they say, but by what they do. They are people who care not for the bright lights of a big center stage, instead they are driven and motivated by a cause bigger than themselves. In my opinion two people who epitomize this description are David Ross and Gerry Limpic. These two men serve side by side together, sharing life, helping those in need and giving to the less fortunate of the city of San Diego. They are the leadership team and founders of the Isaiah Project.

WHAT IS THE ISAIAH PROJECT?

Isaiah Project is a non-profit organization serving the homeless and displaced of San Diego. They give over 700 bottles of water every day to people on the streets, provide blankets, bathrooms and even a place to store belongings. Mother Teresa said it best, “Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat.” The Isaiah Project doesn’t just provide items that we would consider basic necessitates, they also are an extension of love and grace to unwanted, the neglected or putting in bluntly, the forgotten.  To find out more about the Isaiah Project CLICK HERE.

The founder of the Isaiah Project is David Ross and Gerry Limpic.

David Ross started out on the streets of Detroit, he took one turn for a while to work with Mercedes-Benz as a General Manager and another turn to work ten years as a case manager for St. Vincent. Several years ago David made the move to work independently, on his own, helping in the streets of San Diego. Still to the this day David Ross, who is affectionately known as, “The Water Man” personally gives out 700 bottles of water to those in need.

n 2008, Gerry Limpic (former recording artist, now Family Therapist and Music Pastor) met David and realized there was a need for more people to help David in his desire to serve the poor. After an initial conversation about specific ways to help, the decision was made to start a non-profit organization.

HOW MANY PROJECTS AND PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SERVED BY THE ISAIAH PROJECT?

The Isaiah Project has literally served thousands of people on the streets of San Diego. They have a variety of projects that range from bathrooms to a full blow check in center for the homeless to store their belongings. The check in center is only the second of it’s kind in the US. On average they house roughly 250 peoples belongings. This allows homeless men and women to go on job interviews, take walks, apply for programs and more. For more info CLICK HERE.

HOW DO YOU GET INVOLVED?

Like every non-profit the Isaiah Project needs people who will faithfully support their work. If you are interested CLICK HERE. They also desperately need people to join the team and volunteer at the check in center. If you are interested in find more info CLICK HERE.

I think the following statement captures the heart of the amazing organization I want to spotlight for this post called Charity:Water. This statement is found on the very front of their website: “Right now, almost a billion people on the planet don’t have access to clean, safe drinking water. That’s one in eight of us. Unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation cause 80% of diseases and kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war.”

I grew up like many others, not only taking water for granite, but even worse viewing water as the last resort for people that could not afford the luxury of soda. In my eyes water was tasteless, boring and the enemy of enjoyment. I have found that it is easy to be ungrateful for what is abundant, familiar and extremely accessible. It took several key experiences in my life for me to embrace the gravity of and sheer weight of the importance of clean water. One of those experiences, came when I encountered charity:water.

WHAT IS CHARITY:WATER?

Charity:Water is a non-profit organization bringing clean, safe drinking water to people in developing nations. They use 100% of public donations to directly fund sustainable water solutions in areas of greatest need. The dictionary defines charity as simply the act of giving voluntarily to those in need. It’s taken from the word “caritas,” or simply, love.  4,500 children die every day around the world because of exposure to dirty water. Charity:Water has the mission and vision to see this global epidemic solved. To visit their website, become a fan of their facebook page and more: CLICK HERE.

WHO IS THE FOUNDER?

Scott Harrison, a young man in his mid thirties who said about himself, “I certainly didn’t give clean water much thought, until I volunteered in Africa. When we went into villages, we saw people drinking from swamps,” he said. “It’s water we wouldn’t walk in, certainly not give it to our animals. And this is the water the children were drinking.” If you want to watch Scott explain his story and vision: CLICK HERE.

HOW MANY PROJECTS AND PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SERVED BY CHARITY:WATER?

Charity:Water funds a range of water solutions. These solutions include hand-dug wells, drilled wells, rehabilitation’s, spring protections, rainwater catchments and BioSand filters. As of the end of 2010, charity:water has completed 3811 water project, serving 1,742,331 people.

WHY IS CHARITY:WATER DIFFERENT?

100% of public donations go directly to water projects. All operating costs are covered by a group of private donors so every dollar you give can go to people in need.