444; Father and Daughter Lead Team on 30- day Stand Up Paddle Board Adventure to Raise Funds and Awareness
The #SUP4WATER 444-Mile Journey Begins on Otsego Lake in Cooperstown
COOPERSTOWN, NY (June 11, 2018) – Pete and Ainsley Savard, along with a small team of paddlers and supporters, are embarking on a 444-mile stand up paddle board (SUP) journey down the Susquehanna River. The goal of this #SUP4WATER event is to raise awareness and funds for sustainable clean water projects in remote areas of the world. The first leg of their journey begins June 20th in Cooperstown, NY.
“Ainsley and I, joined by an amazing team of 6, will stand up paddle board (SUP) the entire Susquehanna River…that’s 444 miles,” Pete Savard, founder and chairman of Global Water Consortium said. “Throughout the trip, we will carry the same water equipment used to establish clean water projects in developing countries to showcase its mobility in remote locations.”
In India and Kenya alone, more than 4,200 children die each day due to unsafe water. This fundraising adventure will take the father-daughter led team 30 days to complete. In that timeframe, approximately 126,540 children will die due to unsafe water in both those two countries. The goal is to raise $1 for each of these children and to bring increased awareness for sustainable water projects around the world. If they’re able to reach their fundraising goal, the #SUP4WATER team will be able to provide safe drinking water to 265,555 people in some of the most remote and in-need areas of the world.
The stand up paddle board adventure begins June 20th on Otsego Lake in Cooperstown, NY and ends at Harve de Grace, MD in the Chesapeake Bay. Savard and his team are requesting donations to help them reach their goal of raising $126,540. Donations can be made online at www.globalwaterconsortium.org/donate.
The team will give social media updates throughout their journey. All are welcome to follow and share in their journey via social media:
Wednesday, June 20, 2018
Available for Interview 11:00am – 12:30pm
Launching down the Susquehanna River at 12:30pm
Council Rock Park - 11 River St, Cooperstown, NY
13326
About Global Water Consortium (GWC)
Global Water Consortium (GWC) was formed in late 2012 when a group of faith-based businessmen were discussing what could be accomplished if they brought their respective talents and experiences together to develop small sustainable projects that would manufacture and distribute safe water. In partnering together, the “consortium” concept was born. By integrating their expertise and services they refined the business model that allows GWC to establish sustainable solutions in developing countries that provide safe water. GWC’s mission is to start mobile small projects in partnership with local people groups that will manufacture and distribute safe sustainable water. More at www.globalwaterconsortium.org.
About Pete Savard
Pete Savard is the founder of GWC and brings a wealth of experience from both the healthcare and business fields. He has almost thirty years in the healthcare field providing care in hospitals, as well as the austere environment, both disaster and non-disaster settings. He is currently an Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing at Cedarville University in Cedarville, Ohio. He is currently working on his doctoral project to complete his Doctorate of Nursing Practice degree at Wright State University, with a focus on understanding the end users’ knowledge regarding water, safe water, and personal hygiene. This knowledge will then be used to modify current health and hygiene education at GWC project sites.
About the #SUP4WATER Team
- Ainsley Savard. Ainsley is the team’s second SUP paddler who will paddle all 444 miles. She just finished her Freshman year of high school and is enjoying driving with her new learner’s permit.
- Cassie Rakowski. Cassie is the team’s third SUP paddler who will paddle all 444
miles. She will be a Junior in nursing school at Cedarville University this fall. In her spare time, she is a barista and will oversee the teams’ daily coffee rations. - Lindsey Wiseman. Lindsey will paddle the team’s fourth SUP for the first two weeks. She currently works full-time and is recently engaged.
- Jared Mitchell. Jared will paddle the team’s fourth SUP for the last two weeks. He is a High School 3-D modeling and design teacher, as well as overseeing the STEAM lab.
- Tristan Devlin. Tristan will paddle the support canoe on the water for the entire trip and is the team’s official photographer/videographer. He will be a Junior
at Wright State University this fall. - JT Tomlin. JT will drive the support vehicle for the team for all 30 days of the #SUP4WATER journey. A recent nursing graduate from Cedarville University, JT will be the team’s eyes and ears above the river and greatly assist in making this event possible for us on the river.
