Elgin Academy students to walk for clean water access

Elgin Academy students next week will walk 3.5 miles carrying 20 pounds of books using backpacks to mimic what nearly a billion people go through each day to access clean water.

The school's Environmental Club is hosting a Walk for Water May 12 benefiting Water Mission, an international organization helping provide safe water and sanitation globally.

Water Mission has provided more than 3 million people access to water. According to the group, 842,000 people die every year globally due to inadequate drinking water, sanitation and hand hygiene and 2.4 billion people live without adequate sanitation. The group has helped build 2,000 safe water and sanitation solutions.

"It has a positive impact on health ... building units to provide clean water in a substantial and long-term way," said senior Maisy Feeley, 17, who heads the Environmental Club. "We just decided on Water Mission because of the legacy that they have and also a lot of opportunities that they provide in terms of spreading awareness through the school for the walk."

Elgin Academy families can join students on the walk, which will start between 3 and 3:15 p.m. at the school's Edward's Hall Learning Center.

"There is no set cost for people to participate. We encourage them to donate," Feeley said. "We don't have a specific (fundraising) goal. Our main goal is to raise awareness and make people realize what they can do in their everyday lives."

Feeley said she hopes future students will carry on the tradition of the water walk.

Water conservation already is a focus of the school's environmentally conscious students, said Lynn Martin, school spokeswoman.

Last year, the school's Environmental Club started a composting program also promoting the message of reducing water waste. A baking club at the school does bake sales to raise money for Charity Water.

"It's fairly rare to see people with plastic water bottles," Martin said. "A lot of reusable water bottles are on campus. This is somewhat happening naturally. There are small movements to help the cause, but it's not a huge concerted effort on campus. But there is definitely an interest among the student body, even the younger students, to conserve water."

To sign up for the walk or for more information, email Feeley at feelema@elginacademy.org, student Catherine Palmer at palmeca@elginacademy.org, or teacher Gina Kietzmann at gkietzmann@elginacademy.org.