The Water Well Trust, a national nonprofit helping low-income Americans get access to a clean, safe water supply, is partnering with The Chris Long Foundation and the Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP) to create a new domestic water program called “Hometown H2o” with the support of corporate partners Xylem and Goulds Water Technologies.
Working with the Water Well Trust, “Hometown H2o” will fund and drill water wells for low-income households that do not have access to water at home or within a reasonable distance. By raising funds to build individual wells and small, shared wells, Hometown H2o will be able to provide safe drinking water to American homes in need in one of the most cost-effective ways.
According to the latest American Community Survey, there are 460,000 households — or 1.5 million Americans — living without access to access to clean, safe, affordable drinking water.
Two-time Super Bowl Champion and 2018 NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year Chris Long said he is expanding the mission of his foundation’s Waterboys initiative to meet the needs of Americans without access to a clean, safe drinking water supply.
“It’s always been a passion of mine to connect our work abroad with our work domestically,” says Waterboys founder Chris Long. “We are committed to making a huge difference domestically and will focus on the water issues that affect primarily rural, impoverished communities.”
Waterboys unites professional NFL and NBA athletes and fans from across the world in support of a single, shared cause: providing clean, accessible drinking water to 1 million people. To date, Waterboys has raised more than $4 million with the help of over 45 professional athletes, providing clean drinking water to more than 330,000 people in East Africa.
Hometown H2o will also join forces with RCAP’s Agua4All program to ensure students and teachers in rural communities have access to safe drinking water by installing water bottle filling stations and filtration stations in schools and other community-centered places.
In addition, leading global water technology company Xylem and its corporate social responsibility program, Watermark, will provide financial and product support for the Hometown H2o initiative through its Goulds Water Technology brand.
“This partnership will provide fantastic new resources for meeting the needs of Americans without access to clean, safe water ,” said Water Well Trust program director Margaret Martens. “The Trust has a long waiting list of families who have been hanging on for years, hoping for this kind of help. For them, every day without water is a struggle. Hometown H2o will help us fulfill the promise of a better life for these American families much more quickly.”
The Water Well Trust maintains a wait list of American households requesting funding for the drilling of new wells or rehabilitation of non-functioning wells in high-need, low-resource rural areas. Prospective applicants can download the application form and instruction letter from the Water Well Trust website.
For more information, visit waterwelltrust.org.
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About Waterboys
Founded in 2015 by two-time Super Bowl Champion Chris Long, Waterboys unites professional NFL and NBA athletes and fans from across the world in support of a single, shared cause: providing clean, accessible drinking water to 1 million people. By working together, players and fans can make a meaningful difference for communities in desperate need by funding sustainable clean water projects. These projects provide life-giving water and all that comes from it – including the opportunities for education, good health, and economic stability. Initially starting with projects in East Africa, Waterboys expanded its work in 2019 to also include U.S water projects. To date, Waterboys has raised over $4 million with the help of over 45 professional athletes, providing clean drinking water to more than 330,000 people as a result. To find out more, visit waterboys.org.
About The Chris Long Foundation
The Chris Long Foundation is a nonprofit, founded by two-time Super Bowl Champion and 2018 NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year Chris Long, dedicated to serving those most at risk, at home and abroad. Started in 2015, The Chris Long Foundation has engaged in both international and domestic programs focused around clean water, educational equity, and military support. The Foundation’s programs strive to generate impactful results by creating opportunities and providing resources, financial support, and meaningful experiences to those it serves. Visit chrislongfoundation.org to find out more.
About Xylem
Xylem (XYL) is a leading global water technology company committed to developing innovative technology solutions to the world’s water challenges. The Company’s products and services move, treat, analyze, monitor and return water to the environment in public utility, industrial, residential and commercial building services settings. Xylem also provides a leading portfolio of smart metering, network technologies and advanced infrastructure analytics solutions for water, electric and gas utilities. The Company’s approximately 17,000 employees bring broad applications expertise with a strong focus on identifying comprehensive, sustainable solutions. Headquartered in Rye Brook, New York with 2018 revenue of $5.2 billion, Xylem does business in more than 150 countries through a number of market-leading product brands. For more information, please visit us at www.xylem.com.
About The Water Well Trust
The Water Well Trust (WWT) is a 501(c)3 organization created by the Water Systems Council to provide a clean water supply to American families living without access to a precious resource most of us take for granted. The WWT and its partners build wells for low-income families nationwide that need safe drinking water. To learn more, visit waterwelltrust.org.
About RCAP
RCAP is a national non-profit network providing opportunity, assistance, and practical guidance to small communities in all fifty states, U.S. territories, and tribal lands to ensure access to safe drinking water, sanitary wastewater disposal, and economic prosperity for all rural America. Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC), the Western RCAP, launched the Agua4All pilot program in 2014 in California, and the team has installed more than 435 filling stations statewide. To learn more about RCAP, visit www.rcap.org.
