Working to make a difference Uganda

Kalispell man raises money for trip to Uganda to bring clean water to village

Dennis Lacy's goal is simple: He wants to be a giver.

"Every moment, we're either giving or taking," he said. "I've realized that most of us are takers."

Although he intends to give in his day-to-day life, Lacy also has the opportunity to give something that may affect thousands of people next month, as well as future generations.

On March 4, the Kalispell resident is traveling to Uganda with a group of people to install a water system at an orphanage in a village outside Kampala.

Clean water is something most people in the United States take for granted, but in many parts of the world, including Uganda and much of the rest of sub-Saharan Africa, clean, safe water for drinking and sanitation is hard to come by.

Worldwide, nearly 6,000 people die every day from diseases related to low-quality drinking water and lack of sanitation, according to the World Health Organization and UNICEF. More than 90 percent of those deaths are children younger than 5 years of age.

Equipment has been shipped to Uganda, and by the time Lacy and his group arrive, the well will have been drilled and the ditches dug. The team will start laying water lines March 6, he said.

They hope to finish by the end of that week.

When it's finished, the water system will help more than just the 400- to 500 children in the orphanage, Lacy said. The village, with a population of about 3,000, will benefit from running water, too.

Lacy first learned about the trip last month at a seminar by California-based Klemmer and Associates, a leadership development company. Brian Klemmer, the company president, and Nancy Dean, president of international aid group Orphan Children Fund, planned to lead a group of 20 people to Uganda for two weeks.

In addition to laying water line at the orphanage, the team would break ground on the Luwero Project, a new orphanage Dean plans to start that could house as many as 3,000 children. The group also would meet Janet Museveni, Uganda's first lady.

As a representative for vitamin and supplement company Usana Health Sciences and a longtime advocate of health and wellness, Lacy immediately was intrigued by the team's mission.

He also was motivated by a newfound desire to effect positive change in the world ? a result of the leadership training he'd received through Klemmer.

"I'm 35 now, but I've never really contributed," he said.

That will change next week in Uganda. Most members of Lacy's team also have gone through the training. He is the only one from the Flathead Valley.

Each team member must raise a minimum of $10,000, all of which will go to the water project, Lacy said. They all must pay their own expenses, including air fare.

To raise money, Lacy is hosting a dinner at 7 p.m. Monday at North Bay Grille in Kalispell. Diners can choose entrees from a set-price menu; then, after dinner, Lacy will give a presentation about Uganda's need for safe water.

After the presentation comes dessert and an opportunity for people to donate to the trip.

"And hopefully they'll give from the heart," Lacy said.

He plans to create a CD presentation so donors will know exactly how their money was spent.

"I like to know every dime ? if not, close to it ? is going to the project," he said.

Lacy, who only began fundraising in earnest a few days ago, said he doesn't know what will happen if he doesn't reach his $10,000 goal.

"I didn't even ask that, because I didn't want to think like that," he said. "A lot of that is they (Klemmer) try to get you not to think in scarcity thinking, but they try to get you to think in abundance mode."

He's seen the power of positive thinking, he said, and believes the principle applies to his fundraising effort.

"The biggest key to it is I can do it," he said. "I never used to think that I would have this in me."

For more information or to make a donation, call Lacy at 253-9453.

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com