Patricia Hall

I am President of H2O for Life, a service-learning organization with a mission to engage, educate and inspire young people to learn about the global water crisis through investigation and local and global actions. I volunteer my services to the organization, typically providing 40 hours or more a week doing the outreach to schools and donors for our work.

Imagine a hallway buzzing with excitement as a crew from the “Today Show” visited 8th grade classes at Highview Middle School in New Brighton, Minnesota to learn about H2O for Life.Â

The students had learned about the global water crisis and created a program they titled, H2O for Life-Help to Others.  The school partnered with Kathungu Village to raise funds to build a sand dam for the community.

Our goal of $7000 was surpassed, raising more than $13,000 through the students’ efforts. We decided to share our successes with other schools through creating H2O for Life as a non-profit organization. Schools across the country that were searching for the opportunity to bring a small part of the world into their classrooms now had a place to go to connect and share successes.

In the past 7 years, the H2O for Life curriculum has touched the lives of more than 300,000 youth in the United States, and has provided more than 2.5 million dollars for water, sanitation and hygiene education projects (WASH in Schools) for schools around the world.

Water changes everything! Projects provide a safe drink of water, reducing illness. Plentiful water leads to cleaner classrooms, school gardens, and most importantly, infrastructure that nourish educational opportunity. Our U.S. youth are learning leadership skills and will become the next generation of global citizens who will lead the world.

I spent 30 years in education, with a focus on special ed. My background provides many important skills in curriculum, presenting for groups, connecting with teachers and teacher organizations and essential computer skills. That paired with my passion for education led me to help create H2O for Life. My advice for pursuing your encore is to recognize that, as an older adult, you have many skills and time to contribute. Find your passion and have the time of your life.