The kids at St. Marie of the Incarnation Catholic School held their annual Walk for Social Justice on Friday, May 17.
With an enrolment of approximately 700 at the Bradford elementary school, the students had to be divided into groups for their walk around the schoolyard.
The JK-SK students did their walk first-thing in the morning, Grades 1 through 4 just before lunch, and Grades 5 through 8, in the early afternoon.
All were walking for clean water, the theme of this year’s Social Justice Walk – focusing on the fact that an estimated 1.6 billion people, or 40 percent of the world’s population, lack ready access to a supply of clean, potable water.
The Social Justice team at St. Marie had held an earlier Water Walk on May 7.
Volunteers from Grade 7 and 8 carried heavy carboys of water, representing the struggle that many women and girls face in many parts of the world, to collect and carry water long distances from insecure sources, for their families. The team hoped to encourage other students to participate in the school walk, and raise funds.
The kids made their own posters and artwork, and donated $2 to take part in the walk. The goal was to raise $1,000 - enough to provide a village with a permanent, clean water well, through the Me to We organization.
“We’re sitting at $850, which is awesome,” said Principal Robert Harrison, noting that is more than enough to provide a family with clean water for life, although just shy of the goal.
“There’s still time to reach out,” Harrison said, inviting the community to support the cause.
The Social Justice team at the school has been behind a number of initiatives, the principal said.
"At Christmas, we did shoeboxes of toiletries for all the local shelters. They’ve done that, they’ve done this Water Walk, and a food drive – whenever we ask, they respond," said Harrison.
St. Marie of the Incarnation School is located at 105 Colborne St. in Bradford, and can be reached at 905-775-3492.
