Saying Goodbye

“Hope is a Moral Obligation”…these words spoke to me from a beautifully handmade tapestry in my early days of serving as Executive Director of Pure Water for the World (PWW). This became my motivating credo, the foundation from which I served.

This is a bittersweet letter, as it is the last time I will be writing to you. I wanted to take a few moments to share a reflection of my journey with PWW. For without you, PWW would not be the organization it is today. Your steadfast support kept me going.

Seventeen years ago, I was looking for a career change. I had just finished my term as Rotary District Governor. I remember thinking about books that had captured my attention…and my heart. Books that inspired hope. Books about people helping people.

Rotary had opened my eyes to serving the global community. So when the Executive Director position at PWW came to my attention, I jumped.

PWW was a small family back then, primarily made up of the founding Rotarians. In fact, I was the only staff member. Yet, when I stepped into my new role, I knew instantly that all of my previous experience had prepared me for this very position.

An unbelievable 17 years later, PWW is a leader in the global WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) community. With full-time staff members across three countries and thousands of dedicated supporters and volunteers, PWW has reached hundreds of underserved communities and hundreds of thousands of people, empowering them with the foundation for a future with health, hope and opportunity.

YOU have helped make this happen!

It has been an honor and privilege to work with so many devoted people…all of whom firmly stand in the belief of having and sharing hope. I have gained a great deal of wisdom through these years, which I will proudly take with me.

  • I learned about dignity, that quiet quality of strength, from mothers with children living in makeshift tents, displaced after losing homes and loved ones in the Haiti earthquake.
  • I learned the importance of patience from working with a remarkable staff, from varied cultures, speaking different languages, yet all sharing the same vision…the same hope…for their people.
  • I learned about generosity, as demonstrated by a Honduran mother who shared a meal with me when she had so little for her own family.
  • I learned about disappointment; “great” ideas do not always work out, but resilience and hope give you the motivation to try again.

My life is forever enriched.

Your support has allowed PWW to empower so many people with the foundation for real hope and change. What better legacy can we leave for our children and grandchildren?

I believe there will come a day when future generations will not know the pain, suffering and struggle of waterborne illnesses. Your continued involvement and partnership with PWW will help make that a reality.

PWW is in very good hands. I leave with a full heart and great optimism about the future. It’s been an amazing ride, and you have been a huge part of that. I thank you so very much.

With gratitude and well wishes,

 

 

Carolyn Crowley Meub
Executive Director