In 2006 / 2007, I was reeling from having spent too many years in school, attempting to advance career and credentials and realized I was doing very little to give back to my community or world. At about that time I came across an article in LIFE magazine that profiled the international water crisis. They shared an absurd stat: that every 20 seconds somewhere in the world, a child under 12 died from a waterborne disease. As a recreational runner I realized Abbotsford did not have much in the way of high-quality running events and certainly nothing that profiled a cause like this.

I spoke to a few friends who were equally enthusiastic about the concept and within one year the run for water was born! It was always important to us that the organization remained true to its roots and that money raised went directly to those in need.