It all started with a dream. When Deb O’Dell woke up one morning, she knew that she needed to help people find access to fresh water—what she didn’t know just yet was how. Months later, Deb would inspire Sue Brenchley’s team, ‘P5 Nation’ to raise over $46,000 for ASEA’s Advancing Life Foundation and build freshwater wells for Cambodian families.
“It was Deb’s passion that pushed our fundraising efforts to the next level,” says Sue, “She became the inspiration that drove us all to work harder towards this goal. She started the process by donating $5,000 of her own money towards freshwater wells after she experienced a very specific dream.”
A Dream That Became A Plan
According to Deb, before she had learned about the freshwater issue for families in Cambodia, the dream had felt like a spiritual experience—and had guided her to help people—by providing them with water. At first, she assumed it was a metaphor for the way she does business and her entrepreneurship. But when O’Dell learned about Advancing Life’s partnership with Vision Cambodia, she immediately knew that this was the cause to which she was meant to contribute.
Sue was so moved by Deb’s donation that she made a vow to match the donation for every member of her team. This made the fundraising efforts even more effective because ASEA matched the donations first, and now Sue was matching them as well. Sue had already funded the training of a police dog named Champ in 2019 through Operation Underground Railroad in honor of her son, who passed away.
Team Work Makes The Dream Work
The team created its own contest and prize giveaway to motivate others to donate and have that donation matched twice, first by ASEA, and then by Sue. Participants from the P5 Nation team each paid a minimum $10 buy-in (though many donated more) to claim a small square of land for the giveaway game. Then, a chicken was released, and whichever squares the bird stepped on earned a prize!
“Our team is proud to help,” says Sue, “Not only do we believe in what Advancing Life does and try to donate financially, but many of our team members have also attended the service expeditions since the foundation began, to places like Mexico, Ecuador, and now Cambodia. It’s just what we do.”
