Facts: Over one billion people lack safe access to safe drinking water; half of the world’s hospital beds are occupied by patients suffering from a water-related disease; water-related diseases kill a child every 8 seconds and are responsible for 80% of all illnesses and deaths in the developing world; at least 1 billion people must walk three hours or more to obtain drinking water. And it’s only getting worse without the help of those dedicated to this cause.
On February 25th, 2011, the Jesuit Community will come together for Issues Day, the same day as AwareFest, during which several student bands will be performing, to raise awareness for the growing issue of clean water, or lack thereof. In addition to having numerous speakers from within and outside the Jesuit Community talk about the escalating water crisis, Issues Day also serves as a time for students, teachers, faculty, and other members inside the community to learn about the water well that they have helped make possible, with Jack Fitzsimmons, a Senior counselor, and Rich Perry, the Director of Community Service, leading and coordinating the effort.
According to Mr. Fitzsimmons, the whole idea for the water well started when Jesuit alumnus Matt Delzell ’99–who played basketball for Jesuit when Mr. Fitzsimmons was a basketball coach–came to him about raising money inside the Jesuit Community for the organization Millions From One. This agency, in which Delzel is actively involved, is partnered with and donates money to another agency called Living Waters International which builds water wells for people in third world countries who do not have ready access to clean water. Mr. Fitzsimmons recalled that Delzel told him that Millions From One sells “these bracelets for $10 apiece, and if they can sell one thousand bracelets, then they would have enough money to build a water well in a third world country to provide water for a village for 25 years,” which we both remarked was “pretty good.” After hearing Delzel’s pitch, Fitzsimmons went right to Rich Perry to formulate a way to sell these bracelets to raise money for the water well. After much discussion, they both agreed on having Issues day the 25th of February and using it as an “opportunity to sell these bracelets for the water well as well as an opportunity to raise awareness about water relief.” Students can also buy bracelets in every lunch period during the week of February 21st – 25th and because of the generous donation of $5,000 from Student Council to the water well, bracelets are now being sold for $5 apiece to make them more affordable.
The location for the water well Jesuit is supporting is suitably placed in the small Nicaraguan town of El Convento, which happens to be the town where Mr. Perry and other faculty and students went for a mission trip to bring medical supplies and other necessities to the villagers in the Fall, and who plan to go there again this June. Therefore, when Mr. Perry and others go to El Convento this Summer the well will either be built or in the process. Once finished, the water well will have a plaque inscribed with “Jesuit College Preparatory.”
As I wrapped up my interview with Mr. Fitzsimmons, he remarked that the water well has had a great connection to the Jesuit Community, as many clubs and sports have been very proactive in making the well possible, as well as the obvious connection to the mission trip to El Convento. He believes that when the water well is completed it will be tangible proof of “the great things Jesuit can accomplish when we come together as a community.”
