Trip No. 40 for veteran Dover Downs' horseman and humanitarian Ken Wood is underway.
Wood is again following up on his overseas schedule to fly to the West African nation of Ghana and now Tanzania.
For the past six years, Wood has dug and installed more than 1,000 wells for drinking water for the many thousands of native residents. Prior to Wood’s personal challenge to get safe drinking water to the natives, they had to walk approximately five miles to reach often contaminated water.
More recently, Wood has expanded his drilling to another African nation, Tanzania. His effort is a personal humanitarian effort, which he financially supports.
Wood, a longtime resident of Easton, Maryland, is also a popular and successful horseman who has raced for more than three decades at Middle Atlantic region harness racetracks in the U.S. -- more recently at Dover Downs, Harrah’s Philadelphia, Pocono Downs and The Meadowlands.
With his son Ben, Wood operates a highly respected well-drilling company located on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, not far from Delaware. The deeply religious Wood became aware of an urgent need for good drinking water in the poor West African nation of Ghana and Tanzania. At his own expense, Wood sent his drilling equipment by boat and flew to West Africa to see in person the need for fresh water. Wood donated his digging equipment and personally purchased other necessities estimated at many thousands of dollars, to his ongoing project. He trains Ghana, and now Tanzania, locals to continue the ongoing work between his visits. Wood’s crusade has been aided by a number of Rotary clubs and has been recognized by AARP.
(With files from Dover Downs)