WorldWide Drilling Resource

Re be l s wit h a Cau s e Compiled by the Editorial Staff of WorldWide Drilling Resource ® Every year for the past decade, men have gathered in Enid, Oklahoma, to celebrate their own holiday; and it’s everything you’d expect it to be. The men ride bikes and mechanical bulls, shoot guns, play poker, eat meat, blow stuff up, race old cars around a pond, and set things on fire. Man Day is true to its name as a men’s-only event; but ladies, please don’t be offended. There’s more to Man Day than meets the eye. All proceeds from the event go directly to clean water proj- ects in Niger, Africa, one of the world’s most impoverished countries. It all began as a fun and goofy party for men in rebellion to Valentine’s Day. Event organizer, Brent Kroeker, told Enid News: “It started with 17 guys just grilling and shooting, and doing anything that was 180 degrees from Valentine’s Day. It’s grown to what it is today to about 400, 450. Now it’s the funding mechanism for the water well drilling we do in Africa.” Kroeker said Enid has a tight connec- tion with both Man Day and well drilling in Niger. In 2005, Man Day shifted from an anti-Valentine’s-Day blast to a fund-raising opportunity when Emmanuel Baptist Church Pastor John Stam contacted Kroeker about going on a mission trip to Africa. Kroeker has regularly been on mission trips to Niger ever since. Developmental health issues plague Niger due to the absence of a clean water supply. Kroeker said every well drilled in the country provides water to around 750 people. Nearly 130 wells have been drilled thus far, bringing unpolluted water to an estimated 100,000 people who previously relied on contaminated rivers and ponds. Paying for travel expenses from their own pockets, “Man Day dudes” go to Niger several times a year to drill wells and sup- port their missionary friends. Last year, Man Day raised over $73,000, with every penny going toward water wells and hand pumps. As a great reminder of the purpose behind Man Day, water well drilling demonstrations are included in the festivities. Event organizers bring at least one drill rig identical to the one used in Niger, and give a working demo for the guys to watch. Based on the occasion’s wild activities and loving support for water missions in Africa, Kroeker said Man Day “defines us as men more accurately, as our Creator intended.” 87 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® DECEMBER 2016