Water For Life Charity’s Gala for Ukraine

On June 27th, Water For Life Charity held its first annual Fundraiser Gala. With over 200 attendees, the gala was an event to remember. 

Hosted at beautiful Summerhouse Farms in rural Heber Valley Utah, there were many activities for the attendees to participate in. An art show was held, showcasing original works by 20+ talented artists. These gorgeous pieces were later auctioned off in both a silent auction, and a live auction, alongside many other items and services which were donated by our wonderful sponsors.

Speakers were brought in to talk about the efforts that Water For Life Charity, as well as our partners forPEACE (Fiona Givens) and Backroads Foundation (Solomon Smith), have made to aid those struggling due to the war between Ukraine and Russia. There was music provided by the 2022 Midway Swiss Miss, Christian Jones and attendees were able to enjoy a meal catered by Magleby’s.

It’s safe to say that the event was a great success, with our team managing to greatly surpass the original money goal, raising over $80,000 to help provide clean water solutions to suffering Ukrainians! 

Many cities in Ukraine have suffered greatly from the war, with over 90% of the city infrastructure being destroyed in cities with conflict, which includes their potable water systems. All inhabitants of the affected cities are strained by this, including young children and the elderly.

Since the Gala  we have been able to reach out and aid some of those people using the contributions from the Fundraiser. In just two months, these contributions have already provided many solutions. Here are just a few of the things that your donations have helped make happen.

• 1000 buckets

These buckets are made to work in tandem with the water filters, used to collect water in large amounts, and keep the water elevated to make sure the filter continues to function. All that needs to be done is have a hole drilled low on one of the sides of the bucket, attach the filter to the hole, add another bucket or other receptacle to collect the clean water at the end of the filter, and the filter is ready to be used!

• 200 pre-filters for turbid water areas

In some areas, the water may be filled with larger particulates that are too difficult for the filter to clean out, resulting in the filter getting clogged and unusable. In these cases, a pre-filter can be added to the top of the dirty water bucket before adding the water. These pre-filters are made of nylon mesh, having a 5 micron distance between fibers. Enough space for water to get through, but not enough for debris such as plant matter, dirt, small insects, etc.

• 200+ Replacement filter cartridges for existing filter systems

In some places in Ukraine, they already have filters, specifically Katadyn filters, provided by our partners at forPEACE. These filters have cartridges that need to be replaced on occasion, so we send these replacement cartridges out to locations with these Katadyn filters.

• Funds for a delivery van

Some funds were used to help buy a delivery van for our partners who are transporting the supplies to Ukrainians who are struggling to get sources of safe & clean water. As time goes on, this van will continue to be used to transport thousands of more filters to those in need.

• Funds for the distribution and transportation of water filters to remote and devastated locations.

Due to the circumstances that Ukraine is facing, many areas that require the most help are also the most difficult to get to. With the help of our partner charities, Backroads Foundation and forPEACE, we have been able to get these supplies and filters to these places that have been the most devastated. 

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Our team and partners here at Water For Life continue to work on figuring out more efficient ways of distributing supplies to those in need. In the coming weeks, we will be sharing videos showing how the buckets and filters are being used, as well as stories from locals who have directly benefited from your generous donations.

To understand how impactful the filter solutions are, Solomon Smith of Backroads Foundation stated, “[Mykolaiv] city officials were present to learn about the filters you provided. They have asked for thousands more. It’s the only good solution that they have found so far.”  

Your support is truly making a difference!

We are still working to supply over two thousand more filters to Ukrainians in need, and we will continue to provide updates about these ongoing efforts as they happen, via our newsletter, as well as this blog. 

Thank you once again to all those who have donated and supported, as we work to save lives by providing clean water solutions. We are thousands of gallons closer to helping women, children, and families in Ukraine gain access to clean water, and be able to live productive lives, free of water-borne illness.

Before you go, if you have not had the chance to watch our video about the “Power of Giving”, please do so, and share it with your family, friends, and colleagues, and encourage them to donate. 

If you have specific questions about how your donation is being used, or you want further information on how to continue your support, please don’t hesitate to contact us at our contact page or at info@waterforlifecharity.org