| Joette lives in La Luz, New Mexico, and had been without water since her well ran dry in 2018. She was able to acquire a 1,100-gallon water storage tank and was having her water delivered until the cost rose to a point that she was no longer able to afford it.
In 2022, a neighbor allowed Joette to hook up to their irrigation well to fill her storage tank. “People don’t understand what it’s like to be without water until they don’t have it,” Joette explained. “It was a nightmare and very stressful; it was awful. I’d rather be without heat than without water.”
Looking for a more long-term solution, Joette applied for a new well with the Water Well Trust in 2022. However, the cost associated with her new well exceeded the $15,000 maximum allowable amount that could be financed through the Trust.
Thankfully, the Irwin family selected Joette to be a recipient of a grant through the Robin Irwin Sunshine Fund. When the WWT informed Joette that she had been selected, she was so stunned she did not realize that she had been granted a new well. A few days later, she contacted the WWT to ask what her monthly payment would be as she did not see any amount outlined in her agreement. She could not believe it when she received an email stating that the Robin Irwin Sunshine Fund was providing her with a grant, so there would be no repayment.
“I went back to that email at least 50 times to make sure that I read it right, that I was being gifted a well at no charge,” said Joette. “Robin found me in the middle of nowhere and blessed me.”
After her well was completed and she enjoyed clean water again in her home for the first time in seven years, Joette was able to do things she couldn’t do because she always had to be mindful of saving water – like cleaning her bird cages, caring for her desert turtles, and simply washing her curtains.
“Having water running out of my faucet takes some getting used to again,” said Joette. “I am so grateful to the WWT and the Robin Irwin Sunshine Fund for answering my prayers.” |
