Joanne D’Abusco and Ron Sowers were able to turn their recent wedding into something more than a celebration for family and friends; through their generosity, their wedding will provide access to clean water to communities half-way around the world.
As the two Glendale, California educators planned their May 2006 nuptials they decided that they did not need or want traditional wedding gifts. Joanne, an 8th grade science teacher and Ron, an assistant principal both had established homes. They decided instead to request that their guests make a charitable donation in lieu of gifts.
One evening Joanne and her best friend (and maid of honor) rented and watched the film “Millions”. In the movie, two young boys find a sack of money. The younger one is very adamant about ‘doing good’ with it and in the end he sends the money to build wells in Africa. The very next Sunday, while attending services at the Holy Redeemer church in Montrose, California, Joanne saw a bulletin item suggesting donations to charities instead of gift giving. One of the charities mentioned was the African Well Fund. Joanne immediately suggested to Ron that they have “A Wedding Well” and after researching our website, Joanne and Ron decided AWF would be the recipient of the donations.
Joanne and Ron included an insert with their wedding invitation explaining their wishes. Their wedding was held on May 27th at their school. Their friends and family responded positively to the request. Many also work in education and were excited by the prospect of a gift that would not only provide clean water but would also enable young girls to attend school. Because of the generosity of their loved ones, Joanne and Ron’s “Wedding Well” raised $5000 for water projects in Africa!
Check back and in the coming weeks we will bring you more information about how this wonderful donation will be used. AWF thanks Joanne and Ron for their thoughtful, selfless gesture and wishes them much happiness in their life together.
