Lizzy Burke
Opinions Editor
Free the Children’s third annual Water Walk is Sunday, May 18th. The event will take place at Waveny Park at 1PM, and it costs $10 to register. All participants should bring their own containers to carry water, whether it be a water-bottle, jug or bucket.
What is the Water Walk, you ask? A charity event hosted by NCHS’ chapter of Free the Children to raise awareness for the global problem of limited access to potable water. This problem may seem very far away, but in reality, more than 780 million people around the world do not have access to safe drinking water, and 1 out of 4 deaths of children under the age of 5 is due to water-related disease. In many societies, people must walk upwards of 5 miles per day to obtain water for drinking, cooking, and washing, and oftentimes it is contaminated. The Water Walk is a scaled-down simulation of the walk that people must do every day.
Where does my money go? Another great question! All of the money will go to our Free the Children club here at NCHS, which will then be contributed to the international organization, as part of the clean water initiative. Clean water is one of the main pillars of sustainability that Free the Children focuses on, with many opportunities for funds to support this initiative. The Walk is a fun and relaxing chance to give back to not only your local community but also to help out with a global problem. An easy way to get involved!
What’s new about the Water Walk this year? After 3 years of working strenuously to perfect the event, we have made several changes. Pre-registration is an option this year, and members of the club will be sitting outside of Dunkin Donuts in town on May 17 from 9 AM – 3 PM. In addition, there is a new path through Waveny for the Walk, going through different parts of the park. In addition, this year there will be snacks and refreshments provided at the finish line.
We are hosting the walk a little later in the spring than previous years, May 18, in the hopes that we will be graced with good weather. Make sure to keep an eye out for the Facebook event in the upcoming week, and to join and register. We’ll see you all on the 18th!
If you are unable to attend but would like to donate to our chapter of Free the Children visit our Go Fund Me website: http://www.gofundme.com/640nko
For more information on Free the Children’s clean water initiative, visit: http://www.freethechildren.com/international-programming/our-model/clean-water-and-sanitation/
