By: Kristina Chu, Staff Writer

Two weeks ago, on Sunday, October 5th, Ward Melville Key Club hosted an event at West Meadow Beach to advocate and fundraise for the Save the Rain Foundation, a non-profit organization that builds catchment systems designed to harvest rain. By collecting rainwater, people in Africa don’t have to spend time walking for miles to obtain water and therefore, children have more time to receive an education.

The Water Walk raised about two hundred dollars for Save the Rain and also educated participants on the difficulties people with an inaccessibility to clean water sources face.

“We had community members walk down trustees road at West Meadow Beach carrying buckets,” senior Key Club Vice President Ashley Earl explained. “At the end of the road they filled up their buckets with water and walked back down the road to see what it is like to carry water over long distances like many people in Africa do. At the beginning and end of the road, we had community members take part in a drum circle to pump up the energy of the crowd.”

About 50 Key Club members volunteered to help the event run smoothly, each volunteering for a specific job. Sophomore Arianna Ferretti, in addition to walking with her bucket of water, was left in charge of leading the drum circle to get walkers excited. “I would definitely participate in another [water walk],” she stated. “It was very refreshing to be able to do this and the location of Trustees Road was great too, since it was so nice out.”

Earl was stationed at registration for the duration of the event, selling bracelets, beaded flip-flops, and refillable water bottles, as well as handing out informational pamphlets. Junior Key Club member Josie Wiltse set up for the event and took part in the walk itself.

One walker and Key Club member, junior Drew Elrich, shared, “My favorite part was carrying the water back towards the front of the trail because that’s when I realized how much effort it takes for some to get clean drinking water. We don’t always realize how easy we have it living on Long Island.”

Other walkers also discovered what tribulations people in other parts of the world face. Wiltse said, “If there were another water walk, I would participate in it. I think it really showed how difficult it would be to have to make such a long walk just to get a drink.”

To grab the walkers’ attention, Key Club placed informational signs along Trustees Road. For example, one sign read: Every 20 seconds, a child dies from a water-related disease. These facts definitely served their purpose; Ferretti claimed, “I liked how they had the statistics on the sides of the road while we walked; they made me realize what a big problem this is.”

“I think Key Club did a great job of running it in all aspects,” Earl concluded. “It was so great that we hope to make this an annual event!”

The Ward Melville Key Club has positively impacted so many other organizations besides Save the Rain, such as Hope for Javier and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Another upcoming event that Ward Melville Key Club is playing a major role in is the Walk for Beauty/ Color Splash on October 26 to raise awareness and support research for breast cancer. Be sure to check out this event and get involved!

For more information on Save the Rain: http://www.savetherain.org/

For more information on Walk for Beauty/ Color Splash: http://wmho.org/wfb

Interested in WM Key Club? Click here: http://wmkeyclub.weebly.com/