2008 HONDURAS Field Visit

Water 1st traveled to Honduras March 23–30 to attend the two inaugurations of the newly completed water, sanitation, and hygiene education projects in San Gabriel and Agua Caliente (funded by the Laird Norton Family Foundation). We also visited communities in the municipality of Erandique that are in need of funds for a water project.

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Water 1st – Beer 2nd Fun(d)raiser raises $30,000

More than 300 guests gathered for the 3rd annual Water 1st – Beer 2nd fun(d)raiser at Hale's Palladium on Friday, April 18th. Over $30,000 was raised to support water, sanitation and hygiene education projects in Ethiopia, Honduras, India and Bangladesh.

Water 1st gratefully recognizes Hale’s Brewery for their generous and enthusiastic support of Water 1st. Also, a special thanks to all the volunteers who helped make this event such a success.

Check out the fun photos, and the full story.

CARRY 5 – Walking for Water on May 31, 2008

DATE: Saturday, May 31, 2008
TIME: 1:00 p.m.
PLACE: Seward Park, Lake Washington Blvd., Seattle
PURPOSE: To raise money for people who need clean water.
WHO CAN PARTICIPATE: Everyone – like you.
REGISTRATION: $10.00

More Information and online Registration

2008 Give Water • Give Life Benefit - Save the Date

DATE: Saturday, October 18, 2008
TIME: 7:00 P.M.
NEW LOCATION: Washington State Convention & Trade Center, Seattle

Read more here–>

2007 Give Water • Give Life Benefit Raises $444,000

The 2007 Give Water • Give Life Benefit was a huge success. Over 560 people filled Benaroya Hall in Seattle, and $444,000 was raised to benefit people in need of clean water.

Water 1st receives $24,000 from SurveyMonkey.com

SurveyMonkey.com, a Portland based company that provides its customers with online survey tools, contributed $24,000 to Water 1st to support our work in Bishikiltu, Ethiopia. SurveyMonkey donates a portion of its profits to important charitable causes.

Full story here ––>

Quenching the thirst

The work of Water 1st International in Ethiopia was featured on the front page of the Seattle Post Intelligencer on March 22 - World Water Day.

The article was written by Sarah Stuteville, a Seattle reporter for The Common Language Project, a Seattle-based media nonprofit, who chronicled the Water 1st 2008 Water Tour to Ethiopia. She describes how communities in Ethiopia are receiving clean drinking water thanks to the support of Water 1st.

Full Story in the Seattle P.I here

Everybody Poops. But Not Everyone Has a Toilet

The United Nations General Assembly has designated March 22 of each year as the World Day for Water. The theme for World Water Day 2008 was sanitation, in recognition of the 2.6 billion people in the world who lack access to a hygienic toilet.

Full Story Here ––>

Dance for Water raises $1,400 for safe drinking water

Meet Liz Norville, Shelly Sundberg, and Kim Kemp—three moms who like combining fun and fundraising. The trio organizes dances for moms they've known since their eldest children were in elementary school together, and donates the proceeds to selected charities.

This year, the gaggle of girl friends danced the night away in support of Water 1st. The dance was at Mt. Baker Community Center in Seattle. More than 100 women attended.

Full story here ––>

2007 Give Water • Give Life Benefit Raises $444,000

The Give Water • Give Life Benefit, on Friday, November 16 was a huge success. Over 560 people filled Benaroya Hall in Seattle, and $444,000 was raised to benefit people in need of clean water.

Master of Ceremonies Kirk Anderson presided over the event and introduced special guests, Ty Cramer and Steve Romein, recipients of the 2nd annual Water Ambassador award. Full story.

2008 Give Water Give Life Benefit - Save the Date
Saturday, October 18, 7:00 p.m.
New location - Washington State Convention Center

New Water 1st Chapter in Portland

A group of supporters has formed a Portland, Oregon Water 1st Chapter. Volunteers are raising awareness of the global water crisis and our response by visiting schools and hosting events.

If you live in the Portland area and are interested in getting involved, or know someone who might be, call chapter contacts Seshu Vaddey and Marcelle Caturia at (503) 477-8783 or send e-mail to info@water1st.org.

Search with GoodSearch.com

Water 1st can earn money every time you search the Internet! GoodSearch.com is a new search engine that donates half its revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. Powered by Yahoo!, you use it just as you would any search engine.

Go to www.goodsearch.com and enter Water 1st International as the charity you want to support. Just 500 of us searching four times a day will raise about $7,300 in a year without anyone spending a dime. Spread the word!

Covenant Companion Features Water 1st

The Covenant Companion is a monthly magazine published by the Covenant denomination. Its November 2007 issue features an in-depth article about Water 1st International, and highlighted the work Water 1st is doing in Ethiopia. Covenant World Relief has generously donated to Water 1st to benefit many people in need of water in Ethiopia.

Read the entire article here. (PDF)

Water 1st – TONIC Partnership

Water 1st has been selected as the recipient of a donation from TONIC- which will result from sales of an exclusive, designer t-shirt. TONIC is the latest venture from the company that also operates GreenDimes, a membership service that helps individuals eliminate junk mail.

Through the sale of designer t-shirts, TONIC will raise money that will be donated to non-profit organizations. Water 1st International has been selected as a recipient of the proceeds from the water-themed tee.

Complete Story Here.

Water 1st Annual Report is Now Available.

Water 1st has published its 2006 Annual Report. It is available in our office for anyone interested in a copy, or a PDF version is online for immediate download. Special thanks to everyone who worked on the report, including designer Sandy Nelson. Please take the opportunity to review all the excellent work Water 1st has accomplished in the past year. Get your copy of the 2006 Annual Report now.

Download the Water 1st Annual Report (PDF)

Water 1st Article in ParentMap Magazine Wins National Award

Parenting Publications of America has announced its 2007 Editorial and Design Awards, and an April 2007 piece by Water 1st International in ParentMap magazine won the bronze award in the Personal Essay category. One of the judges from the University of Missouri School of Journalism said that the article “points out an important, and overlooked topic.”

Water 1st was selected as a 2007 “Giving Together” partner by ParentMap, a monthly news magazine for parents throughout Puget Sound with a circulation of 60,000. The “Giving Together” program helps local businesses and organizations connect to the parents and families they serve, and helps parents become more aware of needs in their community and the world.

Click here to read the article in ParentMap.