Louisville's Community Effort Raises More Than $30,000 For Assistance In Flint Water Crisis

During the month of February, hundreds of people cleaned out their closets and emptied their wallets to show some love for the children of Flint, Michigan who were impacted by high levels of lead in their drinking water.

Today, the Louisville Water Foundation announced a $31,000 donation to the Community Foundation of Greater Flint's Child Health and Development Fund, created in January to assist children and families impacted by the water crisis. The Louisville Water Foundation along with WaterStep, MSD and the city of Louisville spearheaded the fundraising effort called "Show some love for the children of Flint with no strings attached." The effort centered on shoes and dollars.

In February, WaterStep collected thousands of pairs of shoes to raise money for the Flint Love campaign. Typically, WaterStep sells the shoes to an exporter, and uses the proceeds to bring safe drinking water systems around the world. But in February, WaterStep dedicated proceeds for the Flint Love campaign. Throughout the month, students hosted shoe drives at schools and churches and businesses were collection points. The effort produced thousands of shoes pouring into WaterStep's office.

"We are humbled that so many schools, churches, businesses and individuals cleaned out their closets to help the children of Flint," said Mark Hogg, Founder and CEO of WaterStep. "Compassion runs deep amongst the people of Louisville and the gift of this community collecting shoes helped us surpass our goal by sending more than $30,000 to the Community Foundation of Greater Flint's Children's Health and Development Fund."

On the dollar side, donations came from the Louisville Water Foundation, MSD and a host of partners including civic clubs, engineering firms, businesses and individuals. The Louisville Water Foundation will present the donation to the Flint foundation in the coming days.

Mary Jo Herbig with the Community Foundation of Greater Flint says while the community is still in crisis mode, "the generosity of people around the country is inspiring and overwhelming at times." Herbig says that as of February 28, the Flint Child Health and Development Fund has netted over $2.1 million in donations from 7,802 donors. The donors include people from all 50 states, and across the globe. Currently, a grant making committee is developing guidelines for administering the assistance.

Louisville Water Foundation, WaterStep, MSD and Louisville Metro developed this fundraising idea after seeing the outpouring of support from the community with donations of bottled water. As "water leaders," Louisville Water, WaterStep and MSD wanted to make a contribution with a lasting impact and at the same time, highlight water's critical importance as a life-line to a community.

While the local Flint Love campaign has concluded, the public can still contribute to the Community Foundation of Greater Flint's campaign.

The local partners in this campaign appreciate the community's support in providing assistance to this public health crisis. Partners in the effort are highlighted on the Louisville Water Foundation's website.

About Louisville Water Co. & the Louisville Water Foundation
Louisville Water provides a safe, high-quality of drinking water to over 850,000 people in Louisville Metro and surrounding communities. Louisville Water began operations in October 1860 as Kentucky's first public water provider. The Louisville Water Foundation is the charitable arm of the company focused on providing water assistance and water education programs.

About WaterStep
WaterStep, headquartered in the United States, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that believes everyone should have access to safe water and that no one should suffer from waterborne illnesses. WaterStep implements water projects and equips people with tools and training in water purification, disaster relief, health education, and well repair. What was founded over 20 years ago as a small mission group trying to find the best way to help others, has grown to become an organization with global reach that has saved the lives of people in two dozen countries through its safe water projects. Since its founding in 1995, WaterStep has brought safe water to people in over 30 countries. For more information, visit waterstep.org.

About Louisville MSD
MSD manages wastewater, drainage and flood protection for Louisville Metro-24 hours a day, every day of the year-to achieve safe, clean waterways for our community.