Walks on Sept. 19, Oct. 3 to raise money for access to clean, safe water
Staff reports
Registration is open for the 10th annual Beaufort County Walk for Water on Saturday, Sept. 19, at Live Oaks Park in Port Royal and Saturday, Oct. 3, at Bluffton United Methodist Church.
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, such as western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene.
“We’re celebrating our 10th anniversary this year by offering free registration for all participants,” Beaufort County Walk for Water committee leader Nan Krueger said in a media release. “This creates an opportunity for even more people to learn about the global water crisis, engage with Water Mission’s work, and raise money to support safe water solutions around the world.”
Walkers who register by Aug. 18 and raise or donate at least $25 will receive a free T-shirt.
Participants can 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.
“Participation by Beaufort County residents, businesses and churches makes a life-changing difference for thousands of people in desperate need,” Krueger adds. “The money the walk raises lifts up people for generations in communities around the world. As little as $50 provides one person ongoing access to safe, clean water, $500 can create latrine sanitation for a community, and about $1,000 can build solar panels for a power source. These are things most of us take for granted but make a transformational difference to those who don’t have them.”
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 Bob Burroughs at 404-213-5513 or burrou_bob@bellsouth.net.
