Over the past five years, Austin Tennis Academy students, parents and coaches have raised over $350,000 to help some of the poorest people in the world. The ATA community works in conjunction with A Glimmer of Hope, a social enterprise dedicated to eliminating the injustice of poverty by providing clean water, schools and health clinics to some of the poorest villages in Ethiopia.

Breck Spencer and his family are an active part of ATA’s involvement with A Glimmer of Hope. Earlier this month, Breck and his dad, John, traveled to Ethiopia with a few members of Glimmer, to visit some villages that have a relationship with the foundation. For Breck, the experience exceeded any of his expectations.

“I went to Ethiopia to understand the impact Glimmer makes of the people, to see how a little effort can help change lives, and to gain more perspective on how fortunate I am,” Breck said.

Breck and John traveled with Eric Shmidhauser and various other Glimmer employees in Ethiopia. The group visited villages that have already received water wells, schools or health posts, villages where work is currently being done, and villages that will be impacted in the future.

To get an idea of what the children there went through to get water, Breck made the trip that they make, carrying the water just like they do.

“I was most impacted during the trip when I carried the water,” Breck said. “I struggled immensely with this task while they seemed to have mastered it... WITHOUT SHOES!!!!!! The fact that I got my butt kicked by them really seemed to stand out and speak to me.”

In hindsight, Breck gained an understanding of the impact made by Glimmer, saw how an individual’s effort can help change lives, and most of all he gained the perspective he hoped he would.

“The biggest differences in my life and their life were the opportunities that I have that they don’t have. On the contrary, the children of Ethiopia take advantage of every possible opportunity,” Breck said. “I went to Ethiopia as one type of person, and I can’t say that I’m the same person now.”