The founder of Ryan’s Well Foundation shared inspiring words with the students of St. Paschal Baylon School in Thousand Oaks while thanking them for their decade-long effort to bring clean drinking water to disadvantaged parts of the globe. 

Ryan Hreljac, who was 6-years-old when he began the project, accepted the school’s donation of $2,000 for the nonprofit. The money will completely cover the cost of a new well. In total, the school has raised a combined $20,000 for the initiative through the school’s recycling program.

Hreljac shared his experiences as a youngster starting an international charity that has provided clean drinking water to an estimated million people, saying, “It goes to show that you are never too young to make a difference.”