One of our most enduring relationships can’t be captured on a spreadsheet. This year, our principals Bill and Bradley Gast continue to donate talent, sweat and funding to a cause we’re passionate about–grassroots environmental sustainability, as taught at the Ndabibi Environmental Conservation Centre (NECC) in Kenya.

Here, farmers from local tribes and young people around the world are learning how to farm with creative, sustainable practices like harvesting surface water. Solar power fuels everything from those water pumps to a rare sight outside Nairobi–a refrigerator. In all, NECC offers more than 40 programs, including HIV education.

“It’s a real privilege to be part of something like this,” Bill says. The Gasts support NECC through Earth Wind Fire and Water, a nonprofit founded by Bill and his wife Vivian. Their goal is to help reduce poverty and improve living standards in disadvantaged communities through environmental education, self-help and practical grassroots projects.