A Virtual Walk for Water: Giving Clean Water During Quarantine

When Shirley “Sky” Adams of BridgingtheGap4Water decided that this year’s Walk for Water would have to be cancelled, she was devastated.

BridgingtheGap4Water is Chico, CA-based nonprofit organization that donates to water charities like Lifewater.

Sky hosted the event for 11 years, garnering support from large corporations, small businesses, schools, and local families to bring everyone together for the cause of clean water.

“It’s a huge event because the colleges get involved, the high schools, the junior highs… the people start their walk and all along, there are education stations that give them an idea of what it’s like to walk for water,” Sky said. “And then half way through they go down to the creek and collect a bucket of water.”

Participants walk about half way with the water, then pour it back in. According to Sky, there’s refreshments, prizes, and T-shirts for sale, and the organization raises a significant amount of their annual funding.

Knowing an event of 500 would be unsafe during the COVID-19 pandemic, Sky decided to cancel the event. But she didn’t lose hope.

“Everything was going virtual, so I said why can’t we do a virtual walk for water!”

Still experiencing the loss of the in-person event, Sky wrote her corporate sponsors to let them know about the change and that she would provide refunds if they wished to rescind their contributions. Every sponsor told her to keep their sponsorships as gifts.

Sky grew emotional as she recounted this. She knew businesses were struggling, yet they chose generosity.

“Everything was going virtual, so I said why can’t we do a virtual walk for water!” – Sky Adams, Founder of BridgingtheGap4Water

From April 1 through April 25, families joined in on their own neighborhood streets, hiking trails, and in three different states to participate in the 12th Annual Walk for Water. The walk raised $70,000 and garnered matching funds, about the same as if they’d done the walk as planned.

“God really put it on people’s hearts to give,” Sky said.

The Virtual Walk for Water funds will go towards bringing safe water to the globe’s most remote communities in need of safe water, improved health, and hope.

Contact a Lifewater representative at (805) 541-6634 to host your own fundraiser for safe water!