Walk for Water 5K set for Sunday in West Dundee
On Sunday, April 26, Northern Illinois residents will have a chance to take part in a global effort to ensure clean water is available to everyone in the Great Lakes region.
If they collect monetary pledges and walk in the annual 5K Walk for Water, coordinated by Aveda Spa Bleu, they will be helping solve one of Earth's pressing problems - clean water, said Colleen Fahy, manager of the West Dundee salon.
"The company is specifically focusing on water because it's Earth Month, and there is a need for it in so many parts of the world," Fahy said. "The money we raise will be given to the Alliance for the Great Lakes."
The Alliance is a Chicago-based organization, which works to conserve and protect the five Great Lakes, one of the largest freshwater supplies in the country. The money walkers donate will enable Alliance employees to continue research and protection programs that keep safe the water supply to the Northeastern United States and Southern Canada.
The West Dundee salon is teaming up with its South Barrington salon to put on the walk. Walkers will begin at the plaza to the Fox River walk behind the Route 72 salon. They will walk along the Fox River to the Main Street bridge in Carpentersville. Then, they will walk south on the Fox River Trail bike path to the Route 72 bridge in East Dundee. From there, they will cross the bridge over the river and return to the salon.
"We decided to have a 5K walk because it is 3.1 miles, the same distance someone in Madagascar must walk for water," Fahy said. "Plus, it's Earth Month, which is a good time to help our natural resources."
Earth Month is nationally recognized by people across the country as a time to clean up and help the planet reverse the effects of global warming.
Registration starts at 8 a.m. The walk begins at 8:30 a.m. Even though the event is free, participants are required to receive monetary pledges before they begin. The salons' fundraising goal is $10,000, Fahy said.
Walkers can register and learn more information about the event at the spa's website, www.spa-bleu.com.
"This is the fifth year we've had the Walk for Water," she said. "Last year, we had 150 people participate. This year, we'd like 200 to participate."