Meet Our Newest Team Member

Post date: Aug 07, 2018 6:49:8 PM

After being diagnosed with cancer at the age of sixteen, Danielle Burns was granted the opportunity to have a wish come true via the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Danielle's wish was to bring water to those in need in Africa and has since joined the team at Uganda Farmers, Inc.

Here's Danielle's inspiring story:

Welcome to my wish. My name is Danielle. A month into my junior year of high school, I was diagnosed with cancer, at 16. When I was younger if you had asked me to Make A Wish, I would have told you “go to Bora Bora with Taylor Swift,” thinking I’d get two wishes in one. Little did I know, I would actually be eligible to make one. While I did consider a Mediterranean cruise or having brunch with Michelle Obama, I didn’t want to use my wish for something that would be over in a day or even a week. When I was around 6 or 7, I told my mom that when I was older I was going to fly to Africa with suitcases full of water bottles. How could I spend a week sailing across the water of the Mediterranean when there are kids younger than me who don’t even have clean water to drink? I decided to use the resources I have to do something similar to what my 6-year-old self had planned. I wanted to build a well in Africa, something that would last far longer than brunch or a cruise. After all, I have my entire life to meet Taylor Swift or attend the Ellen Show, and who knows, maybe I'll run into Michelle Obama in Whole Foods some day. Until then, I am working with Uganda Farmers, Inc. to build a well for a primary and high school, supplying 2,250 students with clean water. Uganda Farmers, Inc. is a non-profit that has been traveling to Africa for 11 years had has built 7 wells. My wish will grant me a visit to Uganda to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the well, but there is a lot to be done before then. Think about the money you spend on all of your utilities. Now think about how much more it would cost you with far fewer resources. As you can imagine, it is not cheap to dig a well in desert land. There is a lot of fundraising to be done, including a 5k in Milford, CT in October. In the meantime, if you would like to help, you can donate. Any donation large or small is appreciated, not only by me but the children in Uganda. They need this.

Danielle (middle) with her mother and Father Godfrey Musabe