Two young North Texas sisters have raised more than $1 million to bring clean water to people across the globe.
"It also is like one of the best feelings to see something that you worked really hard on change someone's life," 15-year-old Isabelle Adams said.
Isabelle and her sister Katherine, along with countless volunteers, make origami ornaments for their nonprofit, Paper for Water. Each ornament can take between one and 10 hours to make.
This holiday, the girls and their volunteers decorated two trees at the Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas.
You can buy one ornament, or an entire tree, with all of the proceeds going to their nonprofit.
In the last seven years, ornament sales have raised $1.5 million, which has funded 170 water projects in 17 countries.
"And we've actually been able to visit them," Isabelle said. "So, we know that they're actually happening, which is something that's really important to us because we want to make sure that time and effort, and our volunteers' time and effort, are really making a difference in people's lives."
"We feel obligated as blessed people, to go and bless other people," 12-year-old Katherine said.
"One of the things that water does is it allows kids to go to school and get an education, and it helps bring their entire country out of the cycle of poverty if the children are educated," Isabelle said. "And then you really never know what they're going to do with their life. Maybe they'll discover something that ends up saving my life."
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The girls are also working to start Paper for Water clubs in schools to get more students involved.
You can purchase a Paper for Water origami Christmas ornament inside the Four Reasons gift boutique. They are also available online on the Paper for Water website, www.paperforwater.org.
