Every Drop. Every Penny.

directly to bringing clean water sources to the people of Africa. All donations received will go to our partner organizations. All costs associated with putting on this event are being covered by other sources such as the church and/or through event sponsors. Therefore, 100% of funds raised during the event will be going to bring clean water to Africa. This is our general information letter. Our website is www.everydropeverypenny.org. The website will be up and running by September 1st, 2011 and will be updated as details are finalized. The basics of the event are as follows:
Date: Sunday, November 6th, 2011. 10:00am to 4:00pm. Location: Victoria Presbyterian Church. 6091 Victoria Ave. Riverside, CA 92506
What: Examples of activities currently scheduled include: Kids Activities and Games; Live Music & Other Performers; Food; Fill-the-Well Relay; One for One; Art Gallery & Auction; Informational Sessions on topics relating to the Africa water efforts and what is being done and water conservation. About Victoria Presbyterian Church:
VPC is an established congregation and has several acres of beautiful property located on Victoria Ave in Riverside. The congregation, though small in number, is large in our commitment to connect the Victoria neighborhood and greater Riverside community for the purpose of bringing clean water sources to Africa. Our Vision for Every Drop Every Penny 2011:
Information, Education and Awareness
The principal goal of this event is to raise funds for the purpose of bringing clean water to Africa. A secondary goal is to both raise community awareness of clean water challenges in Africa and to educate the community regarding water usage here in Riverside. To achieve these goals there will be presentations on the above topics throughout the day. As an example, one of the stations we will set up to raise awareness of conditions in Africa will provide an opportunity for individuals to lift 20-40 liters of water so they can get an idea of the weight of this amount of water and to get a feel for what it might be like to carry this sort of load several miles each day. Our partner organizations, “A Drop in the Bucket” and “Water Wells for Africa” will be with us the day of our event with a full set up to provide information and to answer questions. Fundraising
Fill-the-Well. Each day, many women and young girls walk miles to collect water. They carry heavy amounts of water back to their village. This is done multiple times a day. Fill-the-Well is a fundraising event designed to bring awareness to the incredible burden this is for the people of Africa. For this event, different amounts of water will be placed at different distances along Victoria. Distances and amounts will vary to allow for maximum participation. Gallon jugs will be placed the furthest away, followed by large water bottles halfway in between, and with 16 oz. bottles stationed about a block away. Participants will walk/run to the water and carry it back to our “well” at the church. A wood worker has offered to create a replica of a well. In addition to serving as our sample well, this will also be our home base for the relay. Participants will collect sponsors, much like a traditional walk-a-thon. One for One.
“A Drop in the Bucket” is one of our partner organizations. This organization builds wells for schools in sub-Saharan Africa. On average, the schools they serve have 1000 students. On average, a well costs $5,500. This is $5.50 per child. For simplicity, we will sell 1100 water bottles for $5.00, with one bottle representing clean water for one child. We will have custom labels with information about the water crisis in Africa. There is space on the label for a business to put a logo or other marketing information. We will offer this to a business to sponsor the purchase of the water (about $450 total including shipping for 1100 water bottles.) Art Auction
We are teaming with various artists in Riverside and at local universities. We have invited art students to paint as the bands play and auction their work. We have asked the photography students to donate pieces themed around “water.” A local framing business is donating matting and protective sleeves for the event. Community, Family, Food and Fun
We have several bands lined up to play throughout the day. They vary in the style of music that they play. As this will be a family friendly community event, we also have several activities for children planned. We are looking for, are finalizing the details of, or have lined up: jump houses, a magician, a balloon artist, a puppeteer, and an educator from the nature center, etc. We will also have craft stations set up. Of course we will have food! Because of our commitment to every penny going to aid in the relief efforts, we are still working out how to cover the cost of food. We look forward to exploring how you can participate so that together, as the Riverside community, we can join in bringing clean water sources to the people of Africa- drop by drop and penny by penny. Sincerely,
Vanessa Hughes
Event Director
[email protected]
www.everydropeverypenny.org