We started the day in Lebanon, TN, on the outskirts of Nashville, meeting with high school seniors Dillon Bane and Michael Smith. Dillon and Michael, along with their coach, Greg Armstrong, started out three years ago to hike the 2175 mile Appalachian trail. Their original plan was to hike the AT and simultaneously raise money to build a water well in Honduras. However, the deeper these boys got into the project the more hands on they wanted to become. Enter the Living Waters workshop at the University of Mississippi. The workshop gave the boys the skills to build a water purification system. From there, Dillon modified the filtration system to meet the needs of the people of San Marcos de Colon, Honduras. Next, they were able to take the water purification system that Dillon designed and built and install it in Honduras, giving the people a way to purify the water from their pre-existing water source. Along with the filtration system, Dillon and Michael helped lead a team to install a drip tape irrigation system. Next in the works, Michael plans on working on a Bio-Diesel system to take back to Honduras. These guys are giving a community in Honduras the opportunity to be self-sustaining and allowing them the opportunity to take ownership in a better way of life.
From Lebanon we headed to Atlanta, GA to meet up with Jordan Foxworthy. In 2006, Jordan took a trip to Kenya with her dad, comedian Jeff Foxworthy. What began as a typical adventure quickly changed when she returned to the States. Deeply affected by what she saw in Africa, Jordan returned with a desire to give back. Since then, she has raised over $500K for the Bite Back program to provide mosquito nets to protect against malaria–a deadly tropical disease that kills hundreds of thousands each year. Jordan’s cause is made possible because of her tight knit family, the local area schools who have all fully backed this project, and her desire to give back to a country that unexpectedly taught her a valuable lesson. Visit http://www.biteback.net/ to learn more about the Bite Back program.
Tomorrow we head to New York City. Keep up with us on the blog and Twitter, friend us on Facebook, and remember to cast your vote for your favorite 7 Days Cause!
