Students Invite Community to Help Bring Fresh Water to South Sudan

Submitted by Downers Grove Grade School District 58.

Did you know that a $23 donation can provide clean, safe drinking water for one Sudanese person for life?

That’s just one message that Hillcrest School fifth graders and Belle Aire School sixth graders hope to share with the community during their springtime fundraisers to support the non-profit “Water for South Sudan.”

Both classes read “A Long Walk to Water” by Linda Sue Park. It’s a true story about Salva Dut, a Sudanese Lost Boy who survived in a refugee camp without fresh water for 10 years. He later started a non-profit called “Water for South Sudan.” Unbeknownst to each other, the book inspired both Belle Aire and Hillcrest to launch their own fundraisers for the non-profit.

Learn more about their fundraisers below. Send donations to the Hillcrest Well Fund to Hillcrest School, c/o John Smoke, 1435 Jefferson Ave., Downers Grove, IL 60516. Send donations to the Belle Aire Water Challenge to Belle Aire School, c/o Patricia Miller, 3935 Belle Aire Lane, Downers Grove, IL 60515. Thank you for your generosity!

Hillcrest Well Fund

Hillcrest fifth graders invite the community to attend a special Hillcrest Well Fund presentation on Thursday, April 9 from 7-8 p.m. in the gym of Hillcrest School, 1435 Jefferson Ave. They’ve been working hard to raise $15,000 to build a well in South Sudan, and they look forward to sharing what they’ve learned in this endeavor!

During Thursday’s presentation, the fifth graders will teach the audience about South Sudan’s history and need for water. They will also share how the Hillcrest Well Fund has strengthened their math, reading, history and social-emotional learning skills.

The students have already raised nearly $3,000 on their own. For example, one student donated the $10 she earned shoveling driveways; another student fundraised for the Well Fund while caroling. Another student convinced his extended family to donate to the well fund in lieu of Christmas presents this past year.

“This project is giving the students an intrinsic feeling of giving,” said John Smoke, a Hillcrest fifth grade teacher and Hillcrest Well Fund coordinator. “They are freely giving without any expectation in return. It’s a good skill to learn at this age.”

Belle Aire Water Challenge

Belle Aire sixth graders will host a Water Challenge from April 13-24. During this time, they encourage the community to drink nothing but water (and milk) and donate any money saved to the non-profit “Water for South Sudan.”

“The average person spends around $1-$4 per day on everything from coffee to soda and juice,” said Annika and Paige, Belle Aire sixth graders. “The money that is saved would be donated to Water For South Sudan. It would be greatly appreciated by the people without clean water all over the world.”

Patricia Miller, Belle Aire sixth grade teacher, leads the Water Challenge. She said she’s impressed by her students’ initiative.

“From emails to data spreadsheets, videos to class presentations - they have done it all with our supervisory guidance only,” Miller said. “They are so excited to see what they can achieve and - not to sound sappy - but as a teacher I couldn’t ask for anything more!”

Learn more information about the Belle Aire Water Project athttp://bawaterproject.weebly.com/ and view a video produced by Belle Aire students athttps://youtu.be/4VrF3kSqF6o. Belle Aire students will present their Water Challenge to the Board of Education during their next regular meeting Monday, April 13.

Hillcrest and Belle Aire schools are part of Downers Grove Grade School District 58.