JSerra Student Helps Raise Funds for Ugandan Water Nonprofit

BY COLLIN BREAUX

Gianna Carlile was 8 years old when she learned about Wells of Life.

Carlile was introduced to the San Juan Capistrano-based nonprofit, which facilitates access to safe drinking water for people in Uganda, through a service organization in which she participated.

Since then, she has spoken about Wells of Life to regional religious parishes, organized fundraising drives and encouraged people to donate.

“I really enjoy it,” said Carlile, now a 15-year-old student at JSerra Catholic High School, on how it feels to help out with the nonprofit. “It makes me happy to see people in Uganda get clean water.”

She has raised more than $50,000 for Wells of Life since 2016. Carlile was particularly motivated to lend her efforts when she heard about girls in Uganda not being able to go to school because they spend their time instead fetching water.

Wells of Life helps provide water for Ugandan residents by either drilling new wells or restoring existing ones. The

Local Boy Scout Helps Give Senior Center a Facelift for Eagle Scout Project

BY C. JAYDEN SMITH

To help the Dorothy Visser Senior Center in San Clemente revamp its front porch, a local Boy Scout recently gathered his friends to put together two planters for his Eagle Scout project, as well as set up a seating area with a table and chairs.

Conner Brown, a 16-year-old sophomore at San Juan Hills High School, and his family have had a history of helping at San Clemente’s senior center, as they participated in the Meals on Wheels program in previous years. When Brown approached Beth Apodaca, director of the senior center with Age Well Senior Services, and asked if he could orient his project around the senior center, she was on board.

She said that the senior center has wanted to beautify the front space for

Christian organization drilled its first well in 2010.

“One hundred percent of donations go straight to building wells,” Carlile said.

The nonprofit was formed by Nick Jordan, an Irish immigrant who worked in the Orange County real estate industry and also raised money for African schools. Jordan, who lives in San Juan Capistrano, became aware of the clean-water access issues for Ugandan residents after taking an overseas trip.

Wells of Life moved into office space in San Juan in July 2022 but regularly has staff on the ground in Uganda who make sure water wells are providing adequate water, Wells of Life CEO Danny Sells said.

Wells of Life recently drilled its 1,000th well, Sells said.

“We’ve been able to bring it to over a million people in Uganda,” he said.

Sells said Wells of Life has been an impactful movement driven by faithful people.

“Wells of Life has become this rallying point for people who step forward with their time and dollars,” he said.“Resources show up, and we’re able to drill wells.”

Carlile is a unique volunteer with the level of impact she’s had in helping raise donations and awareness, Sells said.

“We’re really grateful to have her as a partner,” he said.

In addition to organizing fundraising efforts, Carlile also personally writes thank-you cards to donors. She has also communicated with a few Ugandan pen pals after getting involved with Wells of Life. and so they made a reach to see if they could do (the project),” she said. “We were going through a bunch of ideas, and I said, ‘Ever since we had the homeless issue out there, that place has never been made pretty again.’ ”

Wells of Life will be further raising funds with a 5K run/walk on May 20 in Orange County. Sells said they chose that distance since it’s the same one that many people in Uganda walk to get water.

Participants can register for the 5K or make donations at wellsoflife.org.

That discussion got the project going.

“They said that their area out front was lacking things, so we thought planters would work well,” Brown said. “So then, I researched designs for the planters, and we just went from there and made it.” ing, he helped his teen figure out the construction plan through making mistakes and correcting them together.

Brown had limited experience with constructing projects other than his days helping his older brother do his own Eagle Scout project. So much of what he experienced during the roughly six-month process was new.

“I’m really just a sounding board and a coach and making sure that they’re following the safety protocols and things like that,” Jess said.

Conner said that what he developed most during the project was leadership skills.

“I had to have my friends over to build the planters and sort of instruct them on how to do it,” he said. “(That really helped) with leadership skills and just being a leader in general. I also learned how to do screwing, for like nails, and painting.” years after putting up a gate to stop homeless people from residing and urinating in the area.

“(The Browns) had a connection here,

The steps included researching the best design and materials, measuring the space where they’d put the two boxes, and then constructing all the sides, ensuring there was drainage in both, painting, rubberizing the inside, and filling them with dirt and the succulents.

His father, Jess Brown, served as a “coach” figure throughout. As the elder Brown has a background in woodwork-

After presenting the finished product to the senior center, he said he felt happy, and it felt like a “real accomplishment” after a half-year’s worth of work.

In addition to the planters, Apodaca said, the center is working to redo the fountain and make the area a comforting place for seniors to enjoy.

“Out there, it’s great, because a lot of seniors would like to sit out there and have a cup of coffee,” she said. “It’s