High School Students and Pure Water Vending
Posted by Tony Gilmore
Pure Water Vending was started back in November 2007 when Jane Starke of Merrimack, New Hampshire High School watched a video in school about contaminated water in the third world and the effects it had on children. The movie really moved her. She went home thinking about how she could help as each day according to the film, 6,000 children die from contaminated water.
Jane found a non-profit organization called Pure Water for the World in Brattleboro, VT (www.purewaterfortheworld.org). They provide water filters and basic hygiene education to families in third world countries, mainly Honduras. Each water filter costs $75 and supports a family of seven. Jane convinced 3 of her friends to join her in a project which they called Pure Water Vending (www.purewatervending.org). The foursome purchased a water vending machine located in the Broadway Bound Performing Arts Center in Merrimack and stocked it with water bottles selling for $1 each.
The proceeds they make from their machine are donated to Pure Water for the World. They have sold over $1500 worth of water bottles since May 2008 when the machine was installed. Their business is non-profit. They did set up budget - 1/3 of the profit goes directly to PWW, 1/3 goes to buying more water, and the final 1/3 goes into the bank to buy more machines. They wanted to make the project as simple and sustainable as possible.
The group entered in a contest called the @15 Challenge from BestBuy (a national electronics retailer based in Minneapolis) to win $10,000-- with the help of friends voting and support from Rotary District 7870, they won! There were 30 teams across the country who were selected (each with their own non-profit business benefiting different causes) and then via vote by text and computer the top 15 teams were chosen. It was a miracle. When national voting started Pure Water Vending was locked in 3rd place. After a major ice storm in December knocked out power for 1.5 million New Englanders for upwards of two weeks, the team's ranking fell from from 3rd to 19th place - all because their voters were without computers or telephones. After a massive get out the vote effort from the community and Rotary, the team ended up in 8th place overall with over 6,000 votes!
Pure Water Vending has now received the $10,000 form BestBuy. The team is looking to use the money to buy more Pure Water Vending machines and, along the way, get other groups of students involved. Their initial goal was to raise awareness, and having done so, now they want to expand by their fundraising by bringing Pure Water Vending into other communities in their area.
The proceeds they make from their machine are donated to Pure Water for the World. They have sold over $1500 worth of water bottles since May 2008 when the machine was installed. Their business is non-profit. They did set up budget - 1/3 of the profit goes directly to PWW, 1/3 goes to buying more water, and the final 1/3 goes into the bank to buy more machines. They wanted to make the project as simple and sustainable as possible.
The group entered in a contest called the @15 Challenge from BestBuy (a national electronics retailer based in Minneapolis) to win $10,000-- with the help of friends voting and support from Rotary District 7870, they won! There were 30 teams across the country who were selected (each with their own non-profit business benefiting different causes) and then via vote by text and computer the top 15 teams were chosen. It was a miracle. When national voting started Pure Water Vending was locked in 3rd place. After a major ice storm in December knocked out power for 1.5 million New Englanders for upwards of two weeks, the team's ranking fell from from 3rd to 19th place - all because their voters were without computers or telephones. After a massive get out the vote effort from the community and Rotary, the team ended up in 8th place overall with over 6,000 votes!
Pure Water Vending has now received the $10,000 form BestBuy. The team is looking to use the money to buy more Pure Water Vending machines and, along the way, get other groups of students involved. Their initial goal was to raise awareness, and having done so, now they want to expand by their fundraising by bringing Pure Water Vending into other communities in their area.