‘Living Beyond Themselves’: Mount Si Student Group Raises Money for Well Drilling, Fresh Water

It started with a simple idea: living beyond yourself; making an actual difference in the lives of others.  That idea led a group of Mount Si students to take the holiday spirit to a global level.

Abbey Bottemiller is Mount Si High School senior – and is chairing a small student committee called Wildcats 4 Water.  Trying to live beyond themselves, the Mount Si students are campaigning for the organization called charity:water.  Charity: water funds well drilling projects in developing nations in order to bring clean drinking water to communities thousands of miles away from the Snoqualmie Valley.

Abbey explained that clean water is taken for granted everyday, saying even the water in our toilets is clean compared to the water people in developing nations have access to.

In fact, the high school senior said more than 800 million people around the world are living without this luxury. Women and young children take dangerous five-mile (or more) treks to water holes to bring their communities drinking water that is often times full of deadly bacteria, animal feces and other parasites.

Abbey says, “About 4,100 children die every day due to the dirty water they are drinking and all we have to do is walk over to our faucet, turn it on and clean water comes out. We have realized that we have so very much in this country to be grateful for.”

She explained that her committee learned when communities receive access to clean water, children will have time to pursue an education and the women will be able to start small businesses.

By living beyond themselves, Wildcats for Water, hope to “make a real difference in other people’s lives, AND raise money to stop the encroaching water crisis.”

The student group has set a goal of raising $10,000 for water: charity.  So far, they are about 25% of the way there. All money raised by Wildcats for Water will go directly to well drilling critical to bringing clean water to communities in developing nations.

Wildcats 4 Water will end their fundraiser on December 31, 2013.  To find out more about Wildcats 4 Water, water: charity and/or to donate to their effort visit www.my.charaitywater.org/wildcats4water.