Brendan Shriver, News Writer
Dr. Brandy Clemmer, a School of Sports Sciences professor and the head of the school’s Leadership Academy, will be leaving the United States next week to participate in a service project in Nepal with the organization Wine to Water for two weeks.
This project is nothing new to Dr. Clemmer. As head of the Leadership Academy, she and a selected group of Sport Management majors have engaged in service projects at places like Victory Junction, School of Life in Gary, WV and many other local community service projects.
On a Saturday morning In April 2015, an earthquake devastated the country of Nepal. Wine to Water was able to respond quickly to this natural disaster by having a team on the ground within a few days to help provide clean water to tens of thousands of people. With all that has been accomplished, the work is far from over.
“In Nepal, I will have the rare opportunity to learn about redevelopment, experience water projects first-hand, such as digging wells, constructing rainwater harvesting systems, making bio-sand filters, and performing monitoring and evaluation procedures on some of these projects,” Dr. Clemmer says.
Dr. Clemmer was introduced to the organization when the book Wine to Water was a campus-wide read in 2013. By reading the book, she developed an immense interest in the organization and was also able to hear the author of the book and the founder of the organization, Doc Hendley, speak on campus.
Dr. Clemmer decided to volunteer with the organization in helping out with the Global Water Crisis. The organization gives volunteers the choice to serve in the Amazon region (Peru, Colombia or Brazil), the Dominican Republic or Nepal.
Dr. Clemmer said that her original proposal was to travel to the Amazon region but due to the lack of projects in the area, the organization had to cancel the trip. She then said that she was then given the option to provide the same service in Nepal. With that, she applied and received a Wings Grant from Wingate in the spring of 2018 to go on the trip.
“I am looking forward to immersing myself in a different culture and observe the different leadership styles present in a crisis situation,” Dr. Clemmer says.
Leadership Academy students will not join her on the trip. Dr. Clemmer leaves on the 26th and won’t return until Oct. 12.
Edited by Brendan Shriver
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