A Harley-riding Wisconsin senior has been given the National Franciscan Peace Award for 2009, an honor previously given to Martin Luther King, Jr., Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II. Don Ryder works as the Wausau city safety director, but it is his work on a life-saving water project in drought-ridden Africa that earned him the prestigious prize.
Women no longer need to trek 15 miles to collect dirty water from a stream, thanks to Mr. Ryder, the Secular Franciscan church-goer who raised money and coordinated the digging of new wells to provide clean, fresh water for their tribes in Kenya.
The Maasai village of Saikeri accepted Don’s first gift of water and watched as the workers drilled down 400 feet to strike water for the first time.
“The people were jubilant,” said Ryder, who the proud Maasai warriors named “Lemayian,” the Blessed One.
With over 15 percent of the population unemployed, the 2,000 residents in Wilmington, Ohio have faced tough economic times, many relying heavily on a local soup kitchen daily for their only hot meal. 
