Raising Funds for WASH Projects

Thinking of raising funds for a your club or district WASH projects?  We would love to hear your ideas!  The best events do more than just raise money – they raise awareness of the water, sanitation and hygiene crisis too.  Read on to learn about District 7710’s novel approach!

Leigh Hudson, PDG, used a walker as a unique way to carry water in the 1-Mile Water Carry Challenge.

Adding a unique twist to a popular fundraising activity, Rotary District 7710 in the last four years has raised over $50,000 towards water and sanitation projects around the world.

This District, located in central N.C., holds a 5 km run/walk which this year attracted a record 289 runners that raced through a picturesque but challenging course. Runners pay a registration fee in order to participate. If they paid an additional fee they could take their dog, and many runners took advantage of this new feature of the event.

The highlight of this event is a 1-mile water carry challenge. This year 11 teams from different Rotary clubs in District 7710 carried a record 381 gallons ( 3,177 pounds) of water around a one-mile course. The teams used poles, yokes, even ladders and a walker to maximize the water they carried, adding to the entertainment value of the race.

Scott Rossi, Cary-Kildaire Rotary Club, who founded the event said, “During my first few years in Rotary, I participated in every Club project looking for my Rotary passion. Then I met George ‘The Waterman’ Lewis and listened to him speak about water and sanitation projects. I studied Rotary’s six Areas of Focus and concluded a well constructed water and sanitation project had the capacity to address all six Areas of Focus.”

“There are lots of races run every year for various causes. What makes this event unique, is it allows you to put yourself in the place of someone who has to go out and carry water every day so that their family has water for basic needs. When you are in this position, even briefly, it shows you how dire the circumstances are that these people live in daily.” said Rossi.

Every year this event raises more and more money for water and sanitation projects. Through sponsorship, participant registration and a raffle for a George ‘The Waterman’ Lewis painting, this year the event raised over $16,000.

Another unique aspect of this fundraiser is that it supports various water and sanitation projects developed by Rotary clubs from across the planet, not just those developed by clubs within District 7710. GlobalRun4Water has supported nine projects in Lebanon, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Bolivia, Uganda, Guatemala, Peru and Tanzania. Projects sponsored cover a spectrum of areas from hand-washing training, water systems for schools, dams and pipelines, to a solar powered water treatment system.

For more information on the GlobalRun4Water contact Scott Rossi at scott@mediscribe.com or 919-467-2632.

There were 289 participants in the 5 km run/walk, that allowed you to even take your dog.