By JOLENE OGLE
DESPITE the lure of soft drink at class parties and slushies at the movies, 16 local students have drunk nothing but water for the month of June to raise funds for international water sanitation projects.
The children all attend the Cooroy Outside School Hours Care, and it was Paige Foley, 13, who encouraged her friends to take up the Water Aid cause after watching carer Lisa Hill and friend Ayden Foley complete the challenge last year.
“It was fun to watch Lisa do it last year,” Paige said. “It seemed pretty easy! I will definitely do it next year.”
The 16 students, named the Water Aiders, are aged between 8 and 13 and set a fund-raising goal of $500, which they not only met but exceeded by a whopping $600.
Carer Lisa Hill, who hadn’t planned on doing the challenge again this year, said she was proud of the students who went without their favourite drinks for the whole month.
“The whole thing was organised by the kids this year, we just supported and helped when needed,” she said.
Lisa said the students even gave up their weekly Milo and orange juice drinks at the school’s Chappy Breakfast.
Ayden, 11, tackled the challenge for the second year in a row, and said he enjoyed raising the money for people in need.
“I do it for people with no water. It’s good to raise money for them,” he said.
As the challenge drew to a close for another year, the students knew exactly what they would have as their first special drink on 1 July.
“I’m having two bottles of ginger beer,” said Water Aider Erik Mahe.
