1,000 walkers expected to raise money for access to clean, safe water
Staff reports
Registration is open for the eighth annual Beaufort County Walk for Water on Saturday, Sept. 14 at Live Oaks Park in Port Royal and Sept. 21 at Wright Family Park in Bluffton. An estimated 1,000 walkers are expected to participate, helping raise a record $100,000 to fight the global water crisis.
Beaufort County Walk for Water promotes awareness of the global water crisis and raises money to provide sustainable, safe water around the world. All money raised benefits Water Mission, a nonprofit Christian engineering organization based in Charleston that builds safe water solutions in developing countries and disaster areas.
The walk hit historic highs last year with more than 700 registered walkers on both sides of the Beaufort River. Their participation will help dramatically change the lives of thousands of people in desperate need, according to Robert Lasher, Beaufort County Walk for Water committee chair.
“The money the walk raises makes a life-changing difference for generations in communities around the world,” Lasher said. “As little as $50 provides one person ongoing access to safe, clean water,” Lasher said. “$500 can create latrine sanitation for a community, and just over $1,000 can build solar panels for a power source.”
Participants will be encouraged to carry a bucket of water on part of a 3-mile walk to symbolize the burden millions of women and children in developing countries carry daily to collect water that’s often contaminated. That unsafe water has dire consequences: a person dies from water-related illness every 37 seconds somewhere in the world, according to Water Mission.
Registration is open now on the Walk for Water website at walkforwater.com/beaufort. Registration is $25 for adults ages 18 and older, $10 for youths ages 5 to 17, and free for children 4 and younger. A $5 discount is available for those who register by Sept. 4 using the code EARLYBIRD on the registration site.
All participants get a T-shirt but must register by Aug. 13 to be guaranteed preferred sizes. In addition, those who register now can double their impact thanks to a limited-time matching gift donation of up to $10,000.
Follow Beaufort County Walk for Water on Facebook and Instagram @BeaufortWalkforWater, and on Twitter #bftwalkforwater. For more information, call 843-769-7395. For sponsorship information, contact Lasher at 843-906-8118 or rlasher5519@gmail.com.
