FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, Sept. 13, 2007
Contact: Dave Wellman, Director of Communications, (304) 696-7153
 

Herd Around the World raising funds
for clean water project in West Africa

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall University is partnering with Rotary International to raise funds to bring safe drinking water to a small village in West Africa.

A new Marshall student organization, led by a group of international and American students, is working with the Rotary Club of Huntington on fundraising and volunteering for the project.  The club, called Herd Around the World, plans to enlist individual students and other student clubs at Marshall to get involved in raising funds for the clean water project.

“The partnership with Rotary International will add an international dimension to the University’s emphasis on service as a part of the Freshman Experience,” Marshall President Stephen J. Kopp said.

Herd Around the World began raising funds by selling bottled water at a Student Organization Fair earlier this month. The fundraising is continuing each week from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Wednesday at the Memorial Student Center. The cost per bottle of water is $1, but people may also donate additional funds toward the cause. 

Karen Dickson, president of the Rotary Club of Huntington, also is excited about the partnership with Marshall.

“We are so pleased that the university has agreed to partner with us on our annual international service project,” Dickson said. “The leadership and involvement of both international and American students captures the spirit of Rotary International which strives to promote peace and understanding throughout the world.”

According to Tom Greenstreet, governor of the Rotary District 7550 of Southern West Virginia, the partnership that the Rotary Club of Huntington has established with Marshall is unique.

“I’m not aware of any other Rotary club that has developed this level of cooperation on a service project which involves international students and global education at a university,” Greenstreet said. “It’s a great fit for Rotary and Marshall since we are both active internationally.”

Marshall University currently enrolls more than 400 international students from more than 60 countries and sends more than 100 American students abroad each year.

 “Our goal,” said Dickson Muchiri, president of Herd Around the World and an international graduate student at Marshall from Kenya, “is to sell water which has been donated to the Rotary Club of Huntington on the Marshall campus. In addition, the club will educate students about the Rotary International’s clean water initiatives and promote global awareness.”

“Water is a resource that all of us in the United States use on a daily basis and with easy access.  However, in many countries water is not only in short supply but the quality is poor,” said Laura Evans, fundraising chair for Rotary Club of Huntington, who has set a goal to raise $6,000 by May 2008. 

The money the Rotary Club of Huntington collects will be matched with funds from Rotary International to build three water wells in a small village near Lagos, Nigeria. Several local companies and individuals are supporting the project, including West Virginia American Water, Sodexho Campus Services at Marshall University, and Mark George, facility manager of Pepsi Bottling Group in Huntington.

“This partnership with Rotary creates a valuable opportunity for our students at Marshall University to develop an international perspective while becoming involved with a service project that will improve people’s lives on the other side of the globe,” said Dr. Clark Egnor, executive director of the Center for International Programs at Marshall University.

Rotary is a worldwide organization of business and professional leaders that provides humanitarian service, encourages high ethical standards in all vocations, and helps build goodwill and peace in the world. Approximately 1.2 million Rotarians belong to more than 32,000 clubs in more than 170 countries and geographical areas.

For more information, contact Egnor at (304) 696-2465.

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