Over the past year, hundreds of students at four schools in Minnesota and one in the Chicago area have raised almost $27,000 for Haiti Outreach to build community clean water wells. These kids illustrated a real commitment to improving the lives of people in Haiti thru providing clean water.
Each well costs approximately $15,000, which includes training the water management committee that will manage and sustain the well, the drilling of the well, the construction of the building around it, and 2 years of monthly visits by the inspector. Each well typically serves a community of 350 members. The funds raised will be enough to build one community managed clean water well, and we are hoping to find support for the other $3,000 that is needed to complete a second well.
The following schools participated in raising money for Haiti Outreach:
Cretin-Derham Hall HighSchool of St. Paul, MN, raised over $5,800 throughout the school year as part of their annual Justice theme. This year the focus was on water. The students raised this money doing a beanbag competition and selling water bottles, among other activities.
In February, St. John The Baptist Church and School in Excelsior, MN raised $1,823 collecting change from students and church members.
Minnetonka Middle School East (MME) in Minnetonka, MN raised over $17,000 during a walk/run held in May. Students in 6th and 8th grade sought pledges for the number of times they would go around the entire school grounds. This path encompassed a full mile from beginning until end. Some students made as many as 11 circuits!
Breck School in Golden Valley, MN participated in the General Mills Box Tops for Education program, and collected $524 in box tops for Haiti Outreach.
And the French Club of Crystal Lake High School in Cristal Lake, IL, selected Haiti Outreach to receive the over $1,700 raised during the “special change” collection in 2012.
We are very grateful to these fantastic young people for their commitment to make a difference in providing clean community managed water that will literally save lives for many people in Haiti. We would love to see other schools, churches, and civic organizations participate in similar ways. If you are interested in learning more about how your organization can get involved, please contact Dale Snyder at (612) 929-1122 or [email protected]