Grand Haven family helps 2.3M people access clean water

GRAND HAVEN — About 14 years ago, Brian and Lorie King took a 24-hour plane ride with their sons, Ethan, now 24, and Jaden, now 21. Their destination? Southeastern Africa.

Brian became extremely sick during the trip after being exposed to a waterborne disease. They didn’t know if he’d survive, and it opened their eyes to a big problem.

“We discovered that 37% of (children) die before age five due to waterborne diseases,” Brian told The Grand Haven Tribune. “So we had to decide, was that an interesting experience and move on, or do we change the trajectory of our lives? For us, we had no choice.”

And so, in 2008, Vox was born. Vox is a nonprofit organization that implements and manages sustainable clean water programs in rural Africa.

The word “vox” means “voice” in Latin. The family and their team were motivated to provide “practical, real-time hope to the voiceless.”

“Personally, to come face-to-face with this situation and not doing something about it feels like a crime against humanity,” Brian said. “It’s definitely a moral imperative for us.”

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