Hydraid BioSand Water Filters - Haiti

The Safe Water Team,  in collaboration with Thirsting to Serve (Rotary District 6290) and other Team members recently shipped the fourth truck load of filters to Haiti since the earthquake.  The Team has funded 1,300 filters which have been shipped to Haiti by the United States Navy and the Project Handclasp program.  The filters are being implemented by Pure Water for the World.

The Power of Youth

Recently, a group of Interact high school students from California set a goal to raise $50,000 to help implement Hydraid BioSand Water filters in the Dominican Republic and Brandon, a 12 year old from Chicago is raising funds to provide 100 filters for the Dominican Republic.  See Brandon web site.

www.brandonsjourney.org

The youth of America can play a role in changing the world.

HydrAid Distribution Center - Honduras

A team from the Safe Water Team (SWT), HHOP, Cascade Engineering and Central Michigan University recently visited Honduras to review details of the opening of a HydrAid Distribution Center Honduras.   The facility will be managed by HHOP in collaboration SWT and other Team members.

Good Samaritan Hospital - HydrAid Distribution Center

Good Samaritan Hospital - HydrAid filter

The Safe Water Team, Inc. in collaboration with the Good Samaritan Hospital in La Romana, Dominican Republic will be opening a HydrAid Distribution Center in June 2010.  The Distribution was funded by Rotary District 6360, Interact District 5170, the Lowell Rotary Club and the Safe Water Team.

Dancing for clean water

Comments

May 15, 2010 

BY DONNA RETTEW, POST-TRIBUNE CORRESPONDENT

The movie "Singin' in the Rain" is best known for the scene of Gene Kelly splashing rainwater as he dances down the street. The recent DanceAid fundraiser at Chesterton High School also brought dance and water together, but in very different way.

The dance performance raised money for Thirsting to Serve, a not-for-profit organization that works with the Navy to deliver HydrAid technology to under-developed countries. HydrAid's biosand filters are lightweight and don't need electricity; a filter can be installed in 30 minutes and will provide 75 gallons of clean, safe drinking water every day.
Stephanie Yeager of Valparaiso organized the inaugural dance benefit, although she isn't new to promotions. She assists the president of a network of music businesses in Valparaiso, which includes a record label, a booking agency and a management company. She also loves to dance in her spare time.

Seven regional dance studios were involved: Arthur Murray Dance Academy of Merrillville, Civic Center Dance of Portage, Dance Sophisticates Studio of LaPorte, Generations Dance Theatre of Hammond, South Shore Dance Alliance of Gary, and Valparaiso's Dance Unlimited and Mirror Image Dance Academy. About 50 dancers participated.

The event's selections included jazz, tap, musical theater, ballroom, modern, ballet and hip-hop. Dancers' ages ranged from adolescent to adult.  "The performance by every dancer was spectacular," Yeager said. "The whole thing was bringing me to tears up in the tech booth."
Yeager said the idea of a dance benefit stemmed from her high school days.  "When I was going to high school in the Grandville, Mich., area, there were lots of dance events going on all the time," she said. "One day last fall, it struck me that this area is missing out on all the amazing dance talent we have spread through our dance studios, and there should be a concert. It hit me that I could turn my love for dance, my ability with business, and this service project into one force for two purposes: great dance and clean water."

Nancy Niequist Schoon of Gary is a board member and the marketing director for South Shore Dance Alliance. About 20 of its dancers, from 4 to 19 years old, performed pieces with contemporary choreography, including tributes to Alvin Ailey and Michael Jackson.  "Dance is an amazingly positive and soulful artistic expression," Schoon said. "Community support for the arts, and dance in particular, is so critical to its growth. That support lets dancers and arts organizations reach out for other good causes. We hope we can touch communities by supporting good causes like DanceAid."

Although attendance was lower than expected, Yeager said more than $2,000 worth of products and services were donated for the silent auction, which generated funds for Thirsting to Serve.  "I'd really like to make it an annual event," she said. "It was too good to not do it again."

Rotary District 6900 District Conference

Wendell Christoff explains the HydrAid biosand water filter to Rotarian's at the Rotary District Conference in Atlanta, Georgia April 23 to 25, 2010.

12 - Year-Old Making a Difference

Fox TV News Story

12-Year-Old Making A Difference

Reported by: Emily Sinovic Email: esinovic@fox23.com  Last Update: 4/26 10:35 pm

Print Story | ShareThis

Video 1 of 1 All Video 12-Year-Old Makes A Difference Related Links Brandon's Clean Water Fundraising Website    Drinking water is something we all take for granted.  But a 12-year-old Tulsa boy learned about the problem in the Dominican Republic and decided it wasn't fair that children his age were dying because they didn't have access to something as simple as a clean glass of water.     Brandon Deacon learned about the need for clean drinking water at a fundraiser for the Thirsting To Serve organization. That is when he read about kids his age living a very different life.     Brandon said, "I saw that a child my age dies every 18 seconds, and I thought I have to do something. This cannot happen. This became my passion."     He made it his goal to raise money for portable water filters, donate them to the Thirsting To Serve organization, and travel to the Dominican Republic himself to help hand out the filters and educate the community about clean drinking water.

Dance Aid Fundraiser for Hope for Haiti

www.danceaidindiana.com
Northwest Indiana area dance studios come together for one afternoon of high caliber displays of dance talent in a dance concert performance to aid underdeveloped counties obtain clean water.  

DanceAid will benefit Thirsting to Serve, a non-profit organization that has collaborated with the US Navy to deliver HydrAid technology to undeveloped countries.  HydrAid BioSand filters are non-electric, lightweight, can be installed in 30 minutes, and provides 75 gallons of clean, safe drinking water a day.

While plans for DanceAid were in motion before the earthquake struck Haiti, Thirsting to Serve is directly supporting on the ground efforts that are addressing drinking water supply safety. 

"Haiti is really a serous matter and we are raising funds to send 1,000 filters to Haiti via the United States Navy." - Jim Brodenner, Thirsting to Serve

HydrAid Filter visits West Michigan Inter-club meeting

On April 20, 2010 the HydrAid filters paid a visit to an inter-club meeting of  Rotary clubs the Rockford,  Cedar Springs, Sparta, Comstock Park, Plainfield Sunrise, Greenville, Grand Rapids North and Lowell.  The event was attended by 150 Rotarians from the 8 clubs and was hosted by the Greenville Rotary club.

You Tube Videos of HydrAid Filter

The first HydrAid filters installed in a flooded community in the Amazon:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9h1J3vMZeE&feature=related

Water Charity - www.watercharity.org is using HydrAid filters

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmSKbMEq25o

Rotarians Fund Dominican Republic HydrAid Distribution Center

On April 9 the manufacturer of the HydrAid filter, Cascade Engineering shipped a 40 foot sea container of 2,250 HydrAid filters to the Dominican Republic.  The filters will be the initial inventory for the creation of a HydrAid Distribution Center which will be operated by the Good Samaritan Hospital in La Romana, Dominican Republic.   The inventory is being funded by donations from Rotary Interact District 5170, Rotary District 6360, the Lowell Rotary Club and the Safe Water Team.  All of the filters proudly display the logo of the three Rotary donors!

Rockford Lion's Club introduced to the HydrAid filter

On April 8 Jim and Sue Bodenner made a presentation to the Rockford, Michigan Lions Club about the HydrAid biosand water filter.  Lions Clubs around the world have many international projects including support the elimination of River Blindness and other eye problems some of which involve waterborne diseases.  The Bodenner's explained to the group the impact that the HydrAid filter is making on the problems of waterborne disease.  The HydrAid filters are manufactured by Cascade Engineering and the Rockford, Rotary club and Rotary clubs from around the world have supported the use of the technology.

Rotarians Respond with HydrAid Filters - Hope for Haiti

Rotarians respond to Haiti earthquake with HydrAid biosand water filters - Hope for Haiti.

www.thirstingtoserve.org

Comstock Park Rotary - Water update

Tom Bereza, President

Sue Bodenner made a presentation today to the Comstock Park Rotary club regarding the update of the HydrAid water filter project in the Dominican Republic and she shared with the club an update of last Saturday's Thirsting to Serve Water Conference.

Grand Rapids North Rotary -

Jim Bodenner spoke at the Grand Rapids North Rotary club on March 30, 2010 which included a group of potential new Rotary members.  Jim updated the group on the effort of Rotarians around the world who were committed to solving big problems like the elimination of Polio and providing safe drinking water to 2/3rds of the worlds population who lack safe drinking water.  The Grand Rapids North Rotary club has been an active supporter of Thirsting to Serve (Rotary District 6290) effort to scale-up the use of the HydrAid BioSand Water filter in the Dominican Republic.

Jim pointed out the the prospective members that membership in Rotary is a unique opportunity to provide service to not our own communities but to join forces with 1.2 million Rotarians around the world to deal with complex social issue.

Rotary District 6290 joined by Rotary District 6360 are in the process of raising funds to purchase 1,000 HydrAid filters which will be shipped to Haiti by the United States Navy and Project Handclasp.

Speaking Schedule This Week - Hope For Haiti

Jim Bodenner will be speaking on Tuesday, March 30 at the Grand Rapids North Rotary Club at the Bolder Creek at 5750 Brewer Avenue Northeast Belmont, MI 49306 and the Comstock Park Rotary Club on Thursday, April 1 at the Swan Inn Restaurant at 5182 Alpine Avenue NW Comstock Park, MI 49321-9794.


Both meetings start at Noon and he will be discussing the Thirsting to Serve (Rotary District 6290) Hope for Haiti effort to raise funds to provide 1,000 HydrAid BioSand Water Filters for Haiti in collaboration with Project Handclasp and the United States Navy and Pure Water for the World.


www.thirstingtoserve.org

Amway ships safe water storage containers to Haiti - HydrAid filter

Amway ships save water storage containers to Haiti - HydrAid filter

Thirsting to Serve Water Conference

     Installation HydrAid Water Station in Haiti

The 6th Annual Thirsting to Serve Water Conference sponsored by Rotary Districts 6290, 6360 and 6380 was held on March 27, 2010 at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  The conference focused on "Partnerships" including speakers from Central Michigan University, Triple Quest, World Vision, Sister City Program and the Rotary Foundation.

HyrAid filters being installed in orphanage in Haiti

Rotary District Governor Anand and District Governor Salan

Past District Governor Conran promises to never drink contaminated water again while traveling:)

Chair of the Rotary International Water and Sanitation Rotarian Action Group Ron Denham updates attendees on international developments

HydrAid filter and old Airstreams

The HydrAid filter made an appearance at the classic Airstream display at the Grand Rapids RV show at the DeVos Place in January 2010.  An odd combination but people enjoyed talking about both water filters and old Airstreams:)

Register for Thirsting to Serve Water Conference - Saturday, March 27-

Triple Quest partnership begins distribution of water filters

By Matt Vande Bunte, The Grand Rapids Press

March 23, 2010, 9:39AM

Courtesy PhotoChristina Keller installs a water filter in a home in the Dominican Republic.GRAND RAPIDS -- A new for-profit venture headed by the daughter of Cascade Engineering CEO Fred Keller aims to deliver 1,000 locally produced water filters to Haiti.

It's part of a "social business model" Christina Keller believes could bring aid to more than 2 million people per year.

That's roughly the number of annual deaths worldwide caused by waterborne diseases, a market potential Triple Quest highlighted Monday in honor of U.N. World Water Day.

"We have the ability right here in West Michigan to make a large impact if those (filters) can get to the people who are dying," said Christina Keller.

She is the launch leader for Triple Quest's distribution of the HydrAid BioSand filter.

Triple Quest is the name of a new partnership between Cascade Engineering and Windquest Group, a private investment fund led by former gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos. The company bought the rights to the filter from International Aid, the Spring Lake-based nonprofit that had distributed the Cascade-made devices until it suffered financial problems last year.

Keller said Cascade has annual capacity to make 250,000 of the 8-pound plastic bins that by gravity run 75 gallons of water per day through cleansing layers of sand and microscopic critters. Several thousand filters already are providing clean water in the Dominican Republic, Honduras and Ghana.

IF YOU GO

Water for the World What: Sixth annual Thirsting to Serve clean water conference Who: Activists from Rotary International, Pure Water for the World, U.S. Agency for International Development and other organizations When: 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday Where: Calvin College's Prince Conference Center Cost: $75, or $20 for students Web: Register online atthirstingtoserve.org

Triple Quest announced Monday it is partnering with a regional chapter of Rotary International that's raising money for the filters, which cost about $100 each to make and ship. A few hundred units were delivered this month through the U.S. Navy's Project Handclasp.

Rotary's Thirsting to Serve project also is holding a sixth annual conference Saturday at Calvin College to explore more partnerships related to clean water distribution.

"We're committed initially to 1,000 water filters (in Haiti)," said Jim Van Dyke, a Grand Haven Rotarian and president of Thirsting to Serve.

"We need to find a sustainable process to be able to keep this moving forward. (Triple Quest's involvement) makes it available to organizations like ours, churches, schools and other humanitarian people."

Keller said Triple Quest aspires to sell the filters to many non-governmental organizations.

"We're not going to be associated with any one nonprofit," she said. "(The filter) really is a solution that people are more and more adopting as a long-term solution.

"The key aspect of the filter is its longevity. In 10-plus years you could still be using it."

Sixth grader teaches third graders about water and HydrAid

Brandon D., a 6th grader in Tulsa, Oklahoma recently learned about the problem of safe drinking water around the world when his mom did a fundraiser at the Longhorn Restaurant in Tulsa that she manages. The problem of safe drinking water is a global crisis and Brandon gave a group of 3rd graders today a lesson on safe water and explained to the 3rd grade class how HydrAid is making a difference around the world.

Jim Bodenner attended Brandon's class by Skype but he added little to the discussion since Brandon had a complete lesson plan to present to the 3rd graders.

Congratulations Brandon on a great job and thank you for helping educate US students regarding this crisis!!

Jim  Bodenner

Grandville Rotary - Hope for Haiti - HydrAid filters

On March 22, 2010 Jim Bodenner made a presentation to the Grandville Rotary Club asking for support of the Hope for Haiti fundraising effort.  Thirsting to Serve which is the 501 C 3 organization of Rotary District 6290 is coordinating a fundraising effort to send 1,000 HydrAid BioSand Water filters to Haiti.  The filters will be shipped to Haiti by Project Handclasp and the United States Navy.  The first 300 filters are already in Haiti and the plan is to ship the remaining filters in the coming months.

Byron Center Rotary - Route 66 Fundraiser for HydrAid

February 18, 2010 Rotary District Governor John Salan and his wife Helen, attend a Byron Center Rotary fundraiser to raise funds to support Rotary District 6290  (Thirsting to Serve) efforts to fund HydrAid BioSand Water Filter projects.

Hotcakes for Haiti - Longhorn Restaurant

Attached is an Open Letter from Amy Deacon, the Managing Partner of the Longhorn Restaurant, in Tulsa, Oklahoma.   Amy and her team raised $5,000 for the Rotary District 6290 (Thirsting to Serve) fundraising effort to provide 1,000 HydrAid BioSand Water Filters for the people of Haiti.

On behalf of Thirsting to Serve we offer our thanks to Amy and her wonderful team at her Longhorn Restaurant in Tulsa.

Jim Bodenner

________________________________________

Open Letter From Amy Deacon:

The earthquake that hit Haiti on January 12, 2010 impacted the Tulsa Longhorn on a personal level.  One of our team members grew up in Haiti and both his and his wife’s entire family reside 5 miles outside of Porte of Prince.  It was agonizing for the team to watch Eddi’s pain of not knowing the well being of his family.  As excruciating as it was for us, none of us could fully understand the depths it tormented Eddie and his wife.

Within days of the earthquake, I received an email from a fellow Longhorn manger with a challenge from his parents who are involved with “Thirsting to Serve”; a non-profit organization that provides water filters to third world countries.  The need for safe drinking water is so great in Haiti that the requests for their filters far exceeded the available funds of this organization.  The challenge was for friends and family to consider purchasing a filter, or finding a way to help raise money to help with this great need.

My entire team approached me about doing something for not only Eddie’s family but for his country.  I shared the email and operation “Hotcakes for Haiti” was quickly under way, our goal $2000.  Our humble efforts were simply a $5 “All-you-can-eat” pancake breakfast and silent auction.

We started promoting the event with our guests, contacts and business connections.  We not only invited them out to breakfast but mentioned that we were having a silent auction in efforts to multiply our funds.  The community involvement became emotionally overwhelming.

On February 27^th at 7:00 am we opened our doors, pancake mix ready and fingers crossed.  Almost the entire staff was on hand, along with the “Ice Girls” from the Tulsa Oilier’s Hockey Team who came to wait tables, Jim and Sue Bodenner, representatives of Thirsting to Serve and the ones who sent out the email challenge, as well as surprise attendee Mike Bodenner, Managing Partner,  from the Longhorn Restaurant in Norridge, Illinois.

I don’t think there is a word in the English language that describes how emotional and moving this event was.  There are many great stories to come out of that day, however the most touching happened when we pulled Eddie out of the kitchen and showed him all the tables full of happy people, the ones checking out the silent auction items and the ones waiting in the lobby.  Extremely moved by the crowd he asked “Who are these people? Where did they come from?”  I tearfully replied “Eddie, these are your guests that you cook steaks for on a daily basis.  They came here to support you and your country. Your Longhorn family worked very hard promoting this event.”  He felt blessed by his team’s efforts to bring his country safe drinking water.  He mentioned “My people that survived the earthquake are now dying a slow death due to the polluted water; this means a lot to me.” I will just say Kleenexes were in short supply that day.

I am very proud to say that we raised just under $5,000 that day, which will provide safe drinking water to 750 people every day for the next ten years.  The Silent Auction brought in over $1,700 alone.  The donations that came in from not only our local businesses but our regular guests were unbelievably generous.  Eddie is completely unaware that the team is giving a portion of the funds to his family to help them rebuild.  On Wednesday, the majority of my staff will be on hand as we surprise Eddie and present him with this gift along with the Darden Dimes match.  

The US Navy will be picking up the filters we purchased and at no cost will safely deliver them into the hands of the correct people in Haiti to ensure that the Haitian people will receive the filters as intended. 

I just wanted to share you with you the heart of my team, and their desire to live our core values not only in our community, but in one far away.

Blessed beyond measure,

~Amy Deacon

Managing Partner

Team Tulsa

Rotarians responds in Haiti with Shelter Boxes

Jim Bodenner just returned from Haiti where he saw the devastating impact of the earthquake on the people of Haiti.  Hundreds of thousand of people are homeless and tents are in short supply.  Rotarians from Michigan and around the world have responded by providing Shelter Boxes to provide critical short-term housing.

Jim saw hundreds of Rotary Shelter Boxes in use in Haiti.  

The top photo shows the Rotary Shelter Boxes in use in Haiti and the photo on the bottom clearly shows the tremendous need for additional Shelter Boxes.

Lansing Rotarians - Hope For Haiti

Jim Bodenner made a presentation on March 19 to the Lansing, Michigan Rotary club regarding the HydrAid BioSand Water Filter and the effort by Michigan Rotarians from Rotary Districts 6360 and 6290 to raise funds to send HydrAid filters to Haiti.  Rotarians are raising funds to ship 1,000 filters to Haiti in collaboration with Project Handclasp and the United States Navy. 

Jim recently returned from Haiti where he saw first hand the critical need for food, shelter and water by hundreds of thousand of people impacted by the January earthquake in Haiti.  

Rotarians from Rotary District 6360 can support the Hope for Haiti effort  by donating to the Rotary District 6360 Foundation at:

HOPE FOR HAITI
Rotary District 6360 Foundation
% Shari Labrenz
198 West Crooked Lake Drive
Kalamazoo, MI  49009


Rotarians from Rotary District 6290 and others can support the same Hope for Haiti effort by donating to the Rotary District 6290 - 501 C 3 organization at www.thirstingtoserve.org

Invocation: Omar Keith Helferich PhD

Water Conference 2010 March 27: The Calvin College

Meeting the Challenge?

Lord as citizens in Michigan, the Great Lakes State, we are blessed to have access to a key element of life- water.   As Rotarians we are able to take as a given the benefits from this critical element beyond our daily needs to include;

- Water is recreation

- Water is a resource for our businesses and

- Water is even plentiful enough to become a commercial product to be sold

Through natural processes our water resources also serve us through beauty, health, and life.

In contrast many of our global neighbors through no fault of their own must see water in a different vision-

- water is a scarce resource requiring total family commitments just to acquire daily needs

- water, when acquired, is frequently filthy, contaminated, with resulting illness and often contributing to the death of their precious children.

Let us be reminded that these circumstances result in the death of 5,000 to 8,000 of our global neighborhood children each day.  One of our Rotarians Lillian Cos has written a short poem that should cause us to think about this critical element- water.

Lord we dare not ask you bless our feast of clean water

Till it is sent to the poorest and to the least.

We dare not drink deeply from our wells

Unless our thirsty brothers and sisters drink too.

Not only at this time, but every day

There are thirsty children who are dying while we pray.

Teach us to do with less, and so to share

From our abundance even more than we can spare.

As we go about our busy lives let us apply the four way test – Truth, Fairness, Goodwill and Better Friendships, and Beneficial to All to Meet the Challenge of creating smiles on multitudes of our global neighborhood children as they are able to change their vision from  water is death to water is life.  Amen.

Project Handclasp/Navy respond to Haiti

This is a news story that ran on the local ABC network in San Diego, California that features Project Handclasp and the United States Navy's response in Haiti and includes coverage of the use of the HydrAid BioSand Water Filter.

On March 13, 2010 the United States Navy with help from the United States Army delivered 300 HydrAid BioSand Water filters to Haiti.  The filters were funded by the Safe Water Team, Inc. and Michigan Rotarians from Rotary District 6360 and District 6290.

So, how was your trip to Haiti?

By: Jim Bodenner

March 16, 2010

So how was you trip to Haiti?

Having just returned from a week in Haiti, friends, family and colleagues keep asking the obvious question – So how was your trip to Haiti?

I have traveled to many countries around the world and I have been in some of the poorest communities in the world, but I have struggled to put in words what I saw and experienced in Haiti.

On Tuesday afternoon on January 12^th the worst earthquake in two centuries struck within miles of Port-au-Prince, Haiti.  It has been reported that over 200,000 people died in the earthquake and millions more have forever had their lives changed by the tragedy.

Poverty is Haiti is overwhelming but it was the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere long before the earthquake and I  have seen the same level of poverty in many countries.  What was overwhelming to me was the total devastation of communities.  Two and three story building flattened and hundreds of thousands of people are homeless.  Thousand of home did not collapse but are badly damaged and people are afraid to sleep inside for fear of the building collapsing for aftershock.

Death, destruction, poverty,  lack of food, water and medical care are obvious and our news media has bombarded us with these realities.  However, what impacted me most was the amazing will of the Haitian people. 

Grand Rapids Press - HydrAid filter

Cascade Engineering, DeVos' Windquest Group

revive water filter project for use in

developing world

By Matt Vande Bunte, The Grand Rapids Press

January 15, 2010, 7:44AM

CASCADE TOWNSHIP – Distribution and sales of a gravity-powered water filter are poised for a rebirth with the sale of the product rights from a charitable organization in financial distress to two private Grand Rapids area firms. Windquest Group, a private investment fund led by former gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos is teaming with Cascade Engineering Inc. to ramp up production and distribution of the HydrAid BioSand device. The joint venture comes six months after the water filter was left out to dry when Spring Lake-based International Aid suspended operations.

Expanding with a nonprofit model is good as long as the donations keep coming in, Cascade Engineering Chairman and CEO Fred Keller said. "But when that slows down, so does the project," he said. "It was discouraging to us to see that fall apart, but we were able to make new arrangements, and we're excited about doing that. "International Aid two years ago took on the filter, in partnership with Cascade, to drive clean-water efforts around the world. It placed about 25,000 devices in Honduras, Ghana and the Dominican Republic. While the nonprofit announced it was closing last year amid financial problems, the organization is in the process of retooling, said Tim Coan, International Aids acting chief executive. Cascade Engineering this week said it has reached a deal with International Aid for rights to the filter and got a license from the Canadian inventor of the process.

Now, with capital from Windquest replacing the nonprofit donations, Cascade aims to reach its current production capacity of 250,000 filters per year. "This innovative approach to making safe water available throughout the developing world makes sense on many levels," DeVos said in a statement. "We are pleased to provide a catalyst for a venture that has the potential both to save, and significantly enhance, the lives of millions of people worldwide." Filters will be given away through nonprofit and government agencies including the U.S. Navy, but also sold to in-country entrepreneurs in what may become a more sustainable model.

The entrepreneurs, aided by loans or rental programs, would distribute, assemble and teach families how to the use the simple filters, which use gravity to pull water through layers of sand containing biological organisms. Jim Bodenner, who spearheaded initial local efforts to distribute a concrete version of the filter before working with International Aid and Cascade on a

lighter, plastic version, said "the new joint venture creates the resources and the engineering expertise you need to really scale this thing up throughout the world.” This is too important a technology to not do it in a big way," said Bodenner, a Rotary Club member who owns a senior living center in Rockford. Bodenner will be executive director of a non-profit arm of the Cascade-Windquest venture that will work with Evanston, Ill.-based Rotary

International and other non-governmental organizations to open pipelines for filter distribution.  Distribution centers are planned in Ghana, Honduras and the Dominican Republic. "We're taking a product made in western Michigan and installing it in another country where people need clean water," said Wendell Christoff, a Litehouse Foods owner in Lowell and president of the new Safe Water Team, Inc. "We're focused in on using the Rotary connections. We've seen what Rotary can do worldwide through eliminating polio.

Children suffer in Haiti

The children in Haiti are particularly vulnerable from disease caused by the lack of safe drinking water. Jim Bodenner and Kenyatta Brame and videographer, Ron Sim installed three HydrAid BioSand Water filter in an orphanage in Port-au-Prince, Haiti - March 2010.

HydrAid filters in Haiti

The recent earthquake in Haiti has caused untold suffering for hundreds of thousand of people. On March 13, 2010 the United States Navy and the Project Handclasp Program with the support of the United States Army delivered 34 pallets of HydrAid BioSand Water filters to Haiti. The effort was funded by the Safe Water Team, Inc. and Thirsting to Serve (Rotary District 6290). Jim Bodenner, representing Thirsting to Serve and the Safe Water Team and Kenyatta Brame representing the manufacturer of the filter, Cascade Engineering were on hand in Haiti to support the effort.

The 300 filters that arrived in Haiti will be implemented in the coming weeks by Pure Water for the World and the filters will provide life saving water to countless families.