What Did You Do Today?
Hunter's own Tennille Amor founded non-profit EPIC
Sabrina Fong
Issue date: 5/1/09 Section: Features
"WHAT DID YOU DO TODAY?" asks Tenille Amor in an effort to increase support for her non-profit organization, Everyday People Initiating Change, because, she says, "there is no such thing in anyone's life as an unimportant day!"
Indeed, this is the very idea behind EPIC, an organization that drills clean water wells in Tanzania. It was a non-profit that Hunter Senior Tenille Amor and her friend, Alexi Panos, started when they had the same epiphany in the same bar several years ago.
Amor and Panos both moved to New York to pursue careers in the music industry. They both had similar business contacts and were both world travelers. Amor's family is originally from Trinidad, but before moving to New York, she lived all over the world, including Scotland, England, Egypt, and Singapore. She said, "It was my time as a child in Egypt, though, that first made me realize the tremendous imbalance that exists between the developed and developing worlds. I made a vow, from an early age, to give back, and originally felt it would happen when I had established a name for myself through the entertainment industry."
For Panos, it was a business trip to South Africa that first opened her eyes to the extreme poverty in developing nations. She began to question her reasons for entering the music industry in the first place, decided to take some time to reassess her involvement in it, and hoped to find more meaning for her life.
Before these realizations, Amor says that they were both "very consumed in the 'superficial' side of the entertainment world-[we] both lead somewhat selfish lives, filled with a great deal of partying and what we considered to be fun at that time."
Then came the pivotal moment when they met at the same bar. They instantly made a connection with each other and began talking. They soon realized that they shared similar goals and decided to do something together. Amor explains, "Instead of waiting for the day when we would have enough power/money/success/fame (all of the things that we thought we needed in order to make a difference in the world), we decided that we had the ability to do something now if we really wanted to. That is where the whole concept for EPIC came from. We brainstormed for a while about appropriate names, and finally decided on EPIC, which stands for Everyday People Initiating Change, because our goal is to get people to realize that we all have the ability to do something positive in the world, no matter how small we may feel in the big scheme of things!"
After coming up with the idea, they had to actually put their plan in motion. Neither of them had any actual knowledge about starting a non-profit organization. They basically did a lot of research. Amor explained, "we looked it up online, read a few helpful books (Non-profits for Dummies being one of them), and were fortunate enough to meet some people who were a lot of help along the way!"
They made their first trip to Tanzania in the summer of 2006 in order to find out what exactly was needed for the natives. Amor says, "At the time, there were so many causes that were close to our hearts, so again, we didn't know where to start, but thought that the best thing to do would be to make a trip to Africa (since we both already had ties to there) and ask the local people what they would want us to do for them, if they could choose anything."
The response was overwhelming. It was almost unanimous among the people that they wanted clean water. Amor found that the "lack of access to safe, clean drinking water is the leading cause of child death in the world (more than war or AIDS!). It's crazy when you think that something so basic could be such a scarcity for so many people in the world, and the sad thing is that we as a society aren't doing nearly enough to help."
Once they determined their goals, the girls began to put their plan in action. They drilled their first clean water well in the summer of 2007. For this first well, they teamed up with Living Water International, another non-profit organization.
Since then, they now have a couple of local drilling companies that they are able to use for the drilling wells. EPIC's donations are mainly used to hire these companies. The wells that they drill are called bore-hole wells, so the water comes from a natural source, like local springs. It then goes through a filtration system underground, which ensures that the water is safe to drink when it is pumped from the well. Amor says, "We are involved with as much of the process as we can be, and make sure to do an extensive follow up in each village to ensure the sustainability of the wells." EPIC also has a hygiene and sanitation education program that the students teach when they visit each village.
Most recently, EPIC partnered up with the new Quiksilver Women's clothing line. Amor says, "They are extremely supportive of everything we are doing and love that we still continue to have other pursuits, since we really represent their ideas of Quiksilver Women."
Despite this tremendous success, EPIC still has difficulty raising money for the wells, since the founders are so busy throughout the year with other matters, though Hunter professors have been a great help. For instance, Professor Ibrahim (Geography Dept - Rural Water Supply and Sustainable Development) has provided Amor and Panos with a great deal of advice, and some on-the-ground insight, as he is originally from Sudan and used to work for the United Nations. Also, Professor Chuman (Human Rights professor from Columbia University) has been helpful to Amor, since she is taking his class this semester and a lot of what they are learning is relevant to their cause.
This August, Amor and Panos plan to return to Tanzania to drill two more clean water wells. In preparation for that trip they have had several fundraising events, including one coming up on May 18 at the Moore Brothers Wine Co.
In addition to leading EPIC, Amor and Panos are still your everyday college students. Though Panos does not attend Hunter, Amor does. She is enrolled in the CUNY Baccalaureate Program, so she was able to design her own degree with a double major in Global Consciousness and Performing Arts. "I love it," she exclaimed, "because it allows me to incorporate both of my loves into my degree."
Amor is graduating next semester and has almost completed her album. She plans to release it by the end of summer. Panos is doing a great deal of modeling and TV hosting too, so they have been using many platforms to promote EPIC. In fact, they have been putting together an idea for a TV show.
At the end of the day, Amor wants to remind people, "We have the ability every day to contribute something positive to the world, and that something can be as simple as turning off the faucet when we are brushing our teeth. It doesn't have to be something huge, but as long as it is something, it will make a huge difference if we all come together to work towards a greater cause."
For more information, you can check out their website, www.epicthemovement.org or join their group on Facebook.com.
Indeed, this is the very idea behind EPIC, an organization that drills clean water wells in Tanzania. It was a non-profit that Hunter Senior Tenille Amor and her friend, Alexi Panos, started when they had the same epiphany in the same bar several years ago.
Amor and Panos both moved to New York to pursue careers in the music industry. They both had similar business contacts and were both world travelers. Amor's family is originally from Trinidad, but before moving to New York, she lived all over the world, including Scotland, England, Egypt, and Singapore. She said, "It was my time as a child in Egypt, though, that first made me realize the tremendous imbalance that exists between the developed and developing worlds. I made a vow, from an early age, to give back, and originally felt it would happen when I had established a name for myself through the entertainment industry."
For Panos, it was a business trip to South Africa that first opened her eyes to the extreme poverty in developing nations. She began to question her reasons for entering the music industry in the first place, decided to take some time to reassess her involvement in it, and hoped to find more meaning for her life.
Before these realizations, Amor says that they were both "very consumed in the 'superficial' side of the entertainment world-[we] both lead somewhat selfish lives, filled with a great deal of partying and what we considered to be fun at that time."
Then came the pivotal moment when they met at the same bar. They instantly made a connection with each other and began talking. They soon realized that they shared similar goals and decided to do something together. Amor explains, "Instead of waiting for the day when we would have enough power/money/success/fame (all of the things that we thought we needed in order to make a difference in the world), we decided that we had the ability to do something now if we really wanted to. That is where the whole concept for EPIC came from. We brainstormed for a while about appropriate names, and finally decided on EPIC, which stands for Everyday People Initiating Change, because our goal is to get people to realize that we all have the ability to do something positive in the world, no matter how small we may feel in the big scheme of things!"
After coming up with the idea, they had to actually put their plan in motion. Neither of them had any actual knowledge about starting a non-profit organization. They basically did a lot of research. Amor explained, "we looked it up online, read a few helpful books (Non-profits for Dummies being one of them), and were fortunate enough to meet some people who were a lot of help along the way!"
They made their first trip to Tanzania in the summer of 2006 in order to find out what exactly was needed for the natives. Amor says, "At the time, there were so many causes that were close to our hearts, so again, we didn't know where to start, but thought that the best thing to do would be to make a trip to Africa (since we both already had ties to there) and ask the local people what they would want us to do for them, if they could choose anything."
The response was overwhelming. It was almost unanimous among the people that they wanted clean water. Amor found that the "lack of access to safe, clean drinking water is the leading cause of child death in the world (more than war or AIDS!). It's crazy when you think that something so basic could be such a scarcity for so many people in the world, and the sad thing is that we as a society aren't doing nearly enough to help."
Once they determined their goals, the girls began to put their plan in action. They drilled their first clean water well in the summer of 2007. For this first well, they teamed up with Living Water International, another non-profit organization.
Since then, they now have a couple of local drilling companies that they are able to use for the drilling wells. EPIC's donations are mainly used to hire these companies. The wells that they drill are called bore-hole wells, so the water comes from a natural source, like local springs. It then goes through a filtration system underground, which ensures that the water is safe to drink when it is pumped from the well. Amor says, "We are involved with as much of the process as we can be, and make sure to do an extensive follow up in each village to ensure the sustainability of the wells." EPIC also has a hygiene and sanitation education program that the students teach when they visit each village.
Most recently, EPIC partnered up with the new Quiksilver Women's clothing line. Amor says, "They are extremely supportive of everything we are doing and love that we still continue to have other pursuits, since we really represent their ideas of Quiksilver Women."
Despite this tremendous success, EPIC still has difficulty raising money for the wells, since the founders are so busy throughout the year with other matters, though Hunter professors have been a great help. For instance, Professor Ibrahim (Geography Dept - Rural Water Supply and Sustainable Development) has provided Amor and Panos with a great deal of advice, and some on-the-ground insight, as he is originally from Sudan and used to work for the United Nations. Also, Professor Chuman (Human Rights professor from Columbia University) has been helpful to Amor, since she is taking his class this semester and a lot of what they are learning is relevant to their cause.
This August, Amor and Panos plan to return to Tanzania to drill two more clean water wells. In preparation for that trip they have had several fundraising events, including one coming up on May 18 at the Moore Brothers Wine Co.
In addition to leading EPIC, Amor and Panos are still your everyday college students. Though Panos does not attend Hunter, Amor does. She is enrolled in the CUNY Baccalaureate Program, so she was able to design her own degree with a double major in Global Consciousness and Performing Arts. "I love it," she exclaimed, "because it allows me to incorporate both of my loves into my degree."
Amor is graduating next semester and has almost completed her album. She plans to release it by the end of summer. Panos is doing a great deal of modeling and TV hosting too, so they have been using many platforms to promote EPIC. In fact, they have been putting together an idea for a TV show.
At the end of the day, Amor wants to remind people, "We have the ability every day to contribute something positive to the world, and that something can be as simple as turning off the faucet when we are brushing our teeth. It doesn't have to be something huge, but as long as it is something, it will make a huge difference if we all come together to work towards a greater cause."
For more information, you can check out their website, www.epicthemovement.org or join their group on Facebook.com.
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