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Committed to a Future of Clean Water

"If every child that attends the groundwater festival takes away only one or two thoughts about how better to conserve our precious resources, then we’re getting the job done."
- Wendy Connell – Waterloo-Wellington Children's Groundwater Festival Steering Committee

For many Ontarians, the idea of preserving water seems odd. After all, Canada has an abundance of clean, fresh water that makes it the envy of countries worldwide.


For thousands of volunteers in the Waterloo-Wellington area however, water preservation is an idea whose time has come. And it’s an idea that grows in importance as communities waste this valuable resource at an alarming rate.

This concern has led to the creation of the Waterloo-Wellington Children’s Goundwater Festival, a hands-on event featuring 40 fun and educational activity centers for students in grades 2 to 6. The first Waterloo-Wellington Children’s Groundwater Festival was held in 1996 at Doon Heritage Crossroads to educate students and their communities. Thanks to 4,200 volunteers, the festival has now reached 36,000 students and 40 schools across Waterloo region and Wellington county. Entirely volunteer driven, the event brings together local municipal groups, education, and industry partners, as well as representatives from conservation authorities.

 
Hon. Brenda Elliott, Minister of Community, Family and Children's Services (far left) is joined by Deborah Young, Volunteers Co-ordinator, Children's Water Education Council; Peter Gray, Chair of Children's Water Education Council; Ted Arnott, MPP for Waterloo-Wellington and Tracey Robertson, Program Manager, Ontario Trillium Foundation at the event honouring the Waterloo Wellington Groundwater Festival’s Volunteering efforts. 
Hon. Brenda Elliott, Minister of Community, Family and Children's Services (far left) is joined by Deborah Young, Volunteers Co-ordinator, Children's Water Education Council; Peter Gray, Chair of Children's Water Education Council; Ted Arnott, MPP for Waterloo-Wellington and Tracey Robertson, Program Manager, Ontario Trillium Foundation at the event honouring the Waterloo Wellington Groundwater Festival’s Volunteering efforts.


The event has been so successful that it was honoured with the prestigious 2002 Outstanding Achievement Award for Volunteerism. The awards, presented by the Ministry of Citizenship, are the highest recognition bestowed on volunteer programs or individuals for volunteerism in Ontario.

The Outstanding Achievement Awards for Volunteerism recognize extraordinary leadership, innovation and creativity among volunteers. This year the awards are given to a select group of 18 individuals, organizations and businesses that have made a substantial contribution to their communities and province through voluntary action.

In March 2001, the Children’s Water Education Council, organizer of the Children's Groundwater Festival, received a $183,800 Ontario Trillium Foundation Grant over three years to strengthen the Groundwater Festival, expand its educational activities to Grade 8 students and develop activity centres for other groups interested in educating children about groundwater.

“The grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation has really helped us to focus our direction, give us stability and allow us to develop plans that will ensure we’ll continue to promote our message of conservation well into the future,” explains Wendy Connell. “The real winners with this event are not just the kids but also the volunteers and the generations of children that will continue to use the conservation practices that they learn at our events for years to come.”

 

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The Ontario Trillium Foundation is an agency of the Government of Ontario.