The Chapel School Students Fund a Well

The Chapel School Students Fund a Well

Bronxville, NY- At The Chapel School fundraising and service projects are a large part of the learning experience, but this March the students took it to a whole new level.  Students raised a whopping $7,500 to fund a water well for a village in western Uganda. “I know I've said it before, but I'll say it again....WOW!  These kids did a great job,” exclaimed Kate Porter, The Chapel School Music Teacher for Pre-K through grade 2 and Youth Minister of the Village Lutheran Church.

On April 2nd, all monies raised were presented in a check to The Water Trust, a non-profit NGO that works with African communities to build clean water wells and provides intensive training to villagers on hygiene and sanitation to combat disease. “At The Chapel School we are passionate about service learning. We feel it is essential to teach our students the values of outreach and giving back,” stated Mr. Dhyne, principal of The Chapel School. Along with the obvious benefit of helping an African village have access to clean water, the students also learned about water conservation through classroom lessons, raised awareness of the plight of millions of Africans who suffer needlessly from lack of fresh water and the Chapel students also came to better appreciate their own easy access to this precious resource.

To raise funds, the Chapel School students collected change in empty water bottles over the course of a few weeks in March.   This collection was supplemented by both a student council bake sale as well as a used sports equipment sale. “I am SO incredibly proud of our kids and thankful for all of who worked so diligently on this project,” commented Christi Gebhart a parent coordinator inspired by the cause.  Water facts were posted throughout the school and classroom curricula incorporated lessons on water conservation and African geography.

The numerous bottles of change were counted and sorted at the People’s United Bank in Bronxville. It took nearly four hours to completely process all the change. “They were so accommodating and helpful,” stated Mrs. Gebhart. “They were gracious and did not hesitate to offer assistance when it jammed numerous times,” stated Mrs. Cynthia Brody. The students’ enthusiasm to collect money for this great cause was impressive and their effort to make a difference will be recognized on the well in Uganda. It will have a donor dedication plaque naming The Chapel School. The well will be built in the Kyakibanga Village, where the nearest source of clean water is currently one kilometer away in a neighboring village. 

Access to clean water provides dramatic improvement in daily life where villagers, mostly women and children, walk for miles carrying heavy cans just to provide water for their most minimal of needs.  When a community gains access to clean water the child mortality rates drop by half, disease dramatically decreases and children can attend school instead of looking for and transporting water.

The Chapel School is located at 172 White Plains Road in Bronxville.  For more information about The Chapel School and its programs, call 914-337-3202 or visit www.thechapelschool.org. The Water Trust  is a 501(c)(3) non-profit working to improve water, sanitation and hygiene in East Africa. The mission is to combat disease and poverty in the developing world through sustainable investments. For more information about The Water Trust please visit watertrust.org or contact Sarah Mendelsohn, smendelsohn@watertrust.org