Lydia Mediavilla
Helping Walk for Water Make a Splash Across Beaufort County
story by JEANNE REYNOLDS
walk for water photos by PAUL NURNBERG
Like many new Beaufort residents, one of Lydia Mediavilla’s first explorations was a visit to the Saturday farmer’s market in Port Royal. She might have expected the heirloom tomatoes, locally made cheeses, and fresh-cut flowers, but what she found at the Beaufort County Walk for Water pop-up booth came as a shock.
“I met a few Walk for Water committee members, and they were sharing information about the global water crisis, Water Mission, and the upcoming walk,” Lydia recalls. “The global water crisis statistics were shocking to me: 2 billion people around the world lack access to safe water — something we take for granted — and 829,000 people die every year due to water-related illness. Women and girls walk miles and miles to the closest source of water daily. The following year I joined the committee.”
That was last year, and Lydia now leads the committee’s communications activities, using a dozen years of experience in marketing to help spread the word across Beaufort County about the Walk for Water, an annual event that promotes awareness of the global water crisis and raises money to provide sustainable, safe water around the world. All money raised benefits Water Mission, a nonprofit Christian engineering organization based in Charleston that builds safe water solutions in developing countries and disaster areas.
Thanks in great part to the work of Lydia and the team, the walk hit historic highs last year with more than 700 registered walkers on both sides of the Beaufort River on back-to-back weekends in Port Royal and Bluffton, together raising $84,000. This year’s goals are even higher: 1,000 walkers registered and $100,000 raised in registration fees and sponsorships.
The participation of those walkers and sponsors will help dramatically change the lives of thousands of people in desperate need, according to Robert Lasher, Beaufort County Walk for Water committee chair.
“The money the walk raises makes a life-changing difference for generations in communities around the world,” Lasher said. “As little as $50 provides one person ongoing access to safe, clean water,” Lasher said. “Five hundred dollars can create latrine sanitation for a community, and just over $1,000 can build solar panels for a power source.”
HOW BEAUFORT COUNTY WALK FOR WATER WORKS
Beaufort County Walk for Water promotes awareness of the global water crisis and raises money to provide sustainable, safe water around the world. The money goes directly to Water Mission, a nonprofit Christian engineering organization based in Charleston that builds safe water solutions in developing countries and disaster areas.
Participants pay a small fee (that includes a T-shirt) to register as individuals or as part of a team of family members, friends, neighbors, co-workers, or church members. On walk day, they join other community members at one of the two walk locations to traverse three miles together, carrying buckets they can partially fill with water at the halfway point.
The walk symbolizes the journey more than two billion people — mostly women and children — make every day to collect water for drinking, cooking, and washing. Not only is the trip difficult and sometimes dangerous, the water often is contaminated and leads to water-related illnesses that kill someone every 37 seconds, according to Water Mission.
BEAUFORT COUNTY WALK FOR WATER
What: 3-mile walk to raise awareness and money for access to safe, clean water in communities around the world through Water Mission
When and where: 9 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 14 at Live Oaks Park in Port Royal and Saturday, Sept. 21 at Wright Family Park in Bluffton
How much: $25 for adults 18+, $10 for youths 5–17, free for kids 4 and under. Register by Sept. 4 for a $5 discount using the code EARLYBIRD. For a limited time, all preregistered walkers can double their impact thanks to a matching gift donation of up to $10,000. All participants get T-shirts, and those registered by Aug. 13 are guaranteed their preferred size.
More info: Learn more and register at walkforwater.com/beaufort or call (843) 769-7395.
Follow: On Facebook and Instagram @BeaufortWalkforWater, and on Twitter #bftwalkforwater.
Sponsorship information: Contact Bob Lasher at (843) 906-8118 or rlasher5519@gmail.com.
