Jon Rose, who’s been instrumental in the rebuilding process post-Sandy, knows this best. His organization, Waves for Water, aims to take clean water to countries that need it the most, providing inexpensive water filters to leave with locals. The organization has traveled to 15 countries and has provided 90,000 water filters that have affected 7.5 million people. In Rose’s words, “There are so many problems in the world that are seemingly unsolvable, but clean water isn’t one of them. Our whole mission is to get access to clean water to those in need around the world. From the solutions we have such as portable water filters and catching rain and digging a well to finding community leaders in each of these regions, you empower them to empower their people. It’s just being a surfer - you don’t have to ask permission. This is about people helping people with the basic needs that we are all entitled to.” Waves for Water started with humble and tragic beginnings. In 2009, Rose was headed to Bali, Indonesia, to deliver 10 water filters when he felt a shake. That shake seemingly destroyed the nearby city of Padang, which killed over a thousand people and affected over 250,000 families. Rose decided that he needed to see the damage and the chaos. That’s where he found his purpose. “I talk about this a lot,” he said, referring to people asking him how he found his passion and his purpose. “I don’t think you need to find your purpose - find your passion first. Then you plug your purpose into your passion. People separate the two – they say ‘this is my job’, which is separate from ‘this is what I do to have fun’. You can plug your passion into everyday life, and that’s how you develop a path. The ideal scenario is to do good and to do what you love for a living. That’s attainable for anyone. It sounds cliché, but you just have to go out and follow your heart.”
Photos: Hurley theatlanticcurrent.com 27