Thank you to everyone who joined us for this year’s Walk for Water West Michigan. It was a great success. Our biggest turnout yet, 900 people showed up to step into the shoes of those who lack access to clean water and experience what it is like to walk for your water. And together, we raised over $40,000.
Relive the fun by checking out event and photo booth pictures at 20liters.org/wfwphotos. And if you weren’t able to attend—considering hosting your own. Our Walk for Water Wherever page will show you how.
It was 10am on a Saturday morning at Mount Union Campus College. Before most college students rolled out of bed, the 20 of us gathered at the student union. A cold and rainy day would be a far cry from the sunny, warm weather that would make a Saturday morning walk enjoyable, but the 1 billion people around the world who don’t have access to clean water aren’t able to wait for optimal weather, so neither would we. On Saturday, April 21, we would walk for water.
Once everyone had checked in, we took some time to remember why we were there. Photos, stats, and videos from 20 Liters website helped set the mood and awaken us to the realities we’ve only ever seen from a distance. Already impacted, we somberly set out across campus to a stream in the middle of a park. One girl carried a stick with 5 milk gallons attached. A 78-year-old woman prepared 4 liters of water in a backpack. A full 20 Liters Jerry Can passed among us, changing hands every 100 yards so everyone had the opportunity to experience what it feels like to carry 44lbs of water for a while. We thought we knew what it’d be like. We never realized entering into the act would be so powerful. The weight of the water, the weight of the issues—it changed us. It moved us. From apathy to empathy. From looking to acting. And even more powerful, was the knowledge that it will also change the lives of those without access to clean water, as well. We raised $900 that day. $400 over our goal, and $900 more than we planned to raise when we’d initially set out to participate in this as solely an experience. That’s 6 filters, which will clean water for up to 24 people for 10 years. Best Saturday morning ever.
No one recognizes the need for water more than an athlete. It’d be impossible to train and compete without it. We may take it for granted, but it’s always there for us. All it takes is a flip of the faucet after a long run, or a simple reach for a water bottle during a hard ride, for us to access clean water. Yet millions of people around the world have to walk miles to gather it from a local river or pond. And even after their long walk, without a filter, clean water may still be out of reach.
So we were pretty excited when local athlete, Ben Merritt, decided to ride his next race, the 30-mile Iceman Cometh Mountain Bike Race, for 20 Liters. Motivated by the desire to race for something bigger than a personal record, he started by creating an online fundraising campaign with the goal of raising $150—the cost of one slow-sand filter. Then, he simply shared what he was doing through social media. He described the response like a slow clap—starting slowly, then gradually building to a peak the week before the race. Once the giving started, people seemed to realize that it was ok to give whatever they could. Some gave $5. Some gave $100. Every donation was important, and every one counted. In fact, they counted up to quite a bit more than he ever expected. By the day of the race, $520 had been donated—enough to fund almost 4 water filters.
So what passion of yours could you make about something bigger? Visit our fundraising page for a few simple ways you could turn your next ____ into clean water for the millions without it.
Every contribution makes a difference, so when a few hundred people combined theirs… well, the result was much more than expected.
This past Christmas Eve, Pflugerville Community Church, outside of Austin, Texas set $3,400, or one rainwater harvest system, as the goal for their Christmas Eve collection. Each year they select a different organization to support—rotating between a local organization and a global initiative. Throughout December, their community learned more about 20 Liters via videos on our website and looked forward to how they could take part in helping the 1 in 8 people around the world who don’t have access to clean water. When Dec 24 came, a simple video reminded them of what they were supporting and baskets outside of the sanctuary were available for any who would like to donate.
The result—$9,698.97. Almost 3 times their goal, and enough money to fund multiple rainwater harvest systems in Rwanda. It’s amazing what can happen when people come together to bring justice and help those without the most basic of needs.
Want to see what you can do? Check out our fundraising page to start one of your own.
