Help Fund a Water Project

Together, we can unlock potential in a developing community by providing clean, safe water.
Fundraiser

Can you imagine being thirsty and not having water to drink?
Or maybe, if you could get water, you would have to walk 2 miles for it, carry
it in a bucket on your head and even then, it wouldn't be clean water. What if
your only source of drinking water was a disease-filled river where animals and
people use the bathroom?

I can't imagine what that kind of life would be like. I am blessed to have the
privilege of going to the refrigerator, the faucet, or a water fountain anytime
I want to get a clean, cold, tasty beverage and I never have to worry that it
will be contaminated with bacteria that will likely kill me. For those who know
me, I am never without a Vitamin Water Zero (or two). :)

Not long ago, I saw a TV show about a country in Africa whose population is
nearly 50% orphaned children under the age of 15. Many of them were orphaned
because their parents (and often their siblings also) died from a water-borne
illness. My heart was broken by the thought of these children going without
clean water and being forced to drink the same diseased water that had taken
the lives of their loved ones. I also learned that most of these children never
get to go to school because they spend the majority of their day in transit to
get water just to stay alive.

I knew I needed to do something to help. I think sometimes we all feel we would
like to help but it seems like such an overwhelming project for one person to
do. That's when the idea came to me that it doesn't have to be a one-person
project. It can be something that involves all of my chorus students, all of
the other students at Conner Middle School, and even the people in our
communities in the Northern Kentucky Area! Mrs. Pennington and our CMS student council are also getting involved. If we all work together, we can
build a well in an African community that will give life to all who drink from
it for years to come. What a long reaching impact that will have!

Beyond anything I can teach my students about singing, I want them to know the
greatest thing they can do with their lives is to help other people. 
Often, the world we live in makes us think one of the main objectives of life
should be trying to get as much as we can for ourselves. I submit that one of
the main objectives of life is to spend ourselves on behalf of others. That's a
true investment and not only will it change and save the lives of others, it
will change our lives in a positive way too. Nothing feels as good as helping
someone in need.

If you're a parent of one of our students, you will be pleased to know that CMS
students have responded in a beautiful way to the idea of sacrificing a little
for the sake of others. I'm so proud of their great attitudes and their desire
to share what they have.

I encourage you to please consider giving generously to this project and help
Conner Middle School build a clean water well in Africa. There are many ways to
give. We will be accepting donations at our African/Water themed spring concert
on April 28, 2014 at Conner Middle School. In March, we will be participating
in a two-week Water Challenge. This involves students committing to drink only
water for two weeks and then contributing to the water project the money they would have spent on
other beverages. Another way to give is through our
on-line fundraising page here at thewaterproject.org. Any amount you can
give will go a long way toward saving lives. We appreciate your help!

Becky Bertelsen


Who's Helping?

Will You Join Us in Giving Clean, Safe Water?
DateDonorAmountMessage
07/29/14Conner Middle School$115.85
07/28/14Conner Middle School$100.00My son, Ethan, asked for donations for this cause in place of birthday gifts for his 12th birthday. So proud he wants to help others.
06/24/14Conner Middle School$4517.24
06/06/14Anonymous Donor$23.00
06/03/14Louis Valsoano$460.00An inspired and worthy project.
05/30/14Tammi Potter-Riddell$46.00Thank you for showing our children humanitarianism! You are a wonderful teacher!
05/29/14Anonymous Donor$1450.00
05/28/14Anonymous Donor$10.00
05/23/14Joetta Schmitt$23.00Thank you for what you are doing Mrs. Bertelsen!
05/23/14Trina Neiheisel$23.00Conner High School Choir
05/13/14Carla Bolser$10.00im glad to help my schools with this project.
04/29/14PENNY KNOLLMAN$23.00
03/16/14Traci Markgraf (Lea mitchell)$50.00
03/16/14Stacy Morris$46.00
03/13/14Mary Schwinn$23.00
03/13/14JAMES BERTELSEN$200.00
03/09/14Annonymous Donor$1200.00CMS Students...What a fabulous opportunity to help others in need! You're off to a great start! Keep it up!
03/05/14Anonymous Donor$500.00
 

Why It Matters

Access to clean, safe water unlocks potential

Did you know nearly 1 billion people don't have safe water to drink?

Together, we can change that. Let's fund a new source of drinking water for those who suffer needlessly without it!

Our gifts will be used to construct or rehabilitate a water project, like a well or sand dam, in Africa. We'll see pictures, GPS coordinates, and updates as they come in from the actual water project we fund so we can celebrate the results along with the community we help.


About The Water Project

The Water Project, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization unlocking human potential by providing clean, safe water to communities around the world who suffer needlessly without.

Working with local partners in countries like Kenya, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, and Uganda, we build long lasting water projects that are organized, owned and managed by the communities receiving them.

Together, with our partners we identify, implement, report on and follow up on every project. Then we share the whole story with you to inspire confidence in the work being done and the impact it has.