The Art Show at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish raised enough in one weekend to support nearly 20 Water Women in the Navajo Nation.
Members of the parish's Youth Ministry Programs decorated glass vases (examples below), which became fast-selling items.
The Inspirational Posters created by the school's students combined Scripture passages illustrated by images of water.
Students Build Bridges, Within a Parish and Across the Country to The Navajo Nation

After a year of Covid-mandated separation, it was time to reach out at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Delmar, New York, a hamlet just outside Albany, the state capital.

“We’ve always had an Art Show to raise awareness of the care for creation, featuring inspirational posters and other art,” said Denise Chonski, art teacher in the Parish school. “But this year we thought we needed to do more, to find a cause, something everyone could support.

“We wanted to build a bridge between the school community and the parish community after a year of not being together. We met with the parish’s Care for Creation team over Zoom and concluded that our Art Show was nice, but that we should create a push to make a difference.”

Jeanne Schrempf, a member of the Care for Creation team, was already a supporter of Water With Blessings, and some years ago the team had helped fund a water source in an impoverished area.

“She suggested we support Water With Blessings,” Denise said. “And when we saw the work going on with the Navajo Nation, it had such an impact on all of us. Here in the US, there are people without clean water to drink. And at this time of having to wash our hands to avoid the virus, they couldn’t even do that.

“Also, it was a chance for children to help other children. Our students learned that others can’t just go to the faucet and get a drink of water. It helped them understand the impact of what they were doing for others, helped them connect personally.”

Since the efforts were going to assist the Navajo people, the students decided to follow the example of Navajo art and make pottery and other crafts.

“We’re blessed to have a kiln here, so the students were able to make coil ceramics,” Denise said. “Mary Ann Hospodar, our Youth Ministry Director, works with young people in grades 6 through 12. She got them involved in painting designs on glass vases that were purchased for them to use. Then for the inspirational posters, students found a quote from scripture that related to water, then illustrated the quote.”

The students and youth ministry group worked through March and April. The Art Show was held on April 24 and 25, after the Saturday evening and Sunday Masses.

The event raised an astounding $1,242. That’s enough to fund nearly 20 Water Women in the Navajo Nation.

Denise attributed the success to the many people who joined the effort...
Would You Like to Sponsor an Art Show Too?

As Denise Chonski said in the article above, the Art Show at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish was a great success because the support became so widespread. Everyone involved did just a little bit, and the results surpassed everyone’s expectations.

Denise shared with us her framework for the event. If you, or someone you know, would like to sponsor an art show, or similar event, please click on the button below.

It is just these kinds of events that make Water With Blessings “the little nonprofit that can.” We remain a grassroots organization with world-wide reach. Each gift, no matter the size, goes to help put buckets and Sawyer PointONE Filters in the hands of Water Women who provide clean water to their own and three other families.

Please consider doing your little bit to help those who lack our one basic necessity: clean water.
Our Project in the Navajo Nation is Underway

After the frustrations of Covid-related delays, we are beginning our effort to provide clean water in the Navajo Nation in the southwestern US. Sr. Larraine arrived in the Nation on Saturday, June 5, and will spend this entire week kicking off the project.

“I’m really overjoyed for the Navajo Nation,” Sr. Larraine said. “They’ve had a very good rate of vaccination and are now beginning to put Covid behind them. We know that isn’t the case everywhere, and we hope and pray that the same advances can be made in all the areas we serve.

“But it’s wonderful to have this opportunity to celebrate this milestone with the Navajo people by launching our program with them.”

We will be providing updates on Sr. Larraine’s trip to the Navajo Nation on our Facebook page this week, so be sure to follow along.
You Can Leave a Legacy of Love, and a Lifetime of Clean Water

Last week we celebrated Memorial Day, remembering those who gave their lives for our country. While we hold a special place in our hearts for “the honored dead,” we also keep in mind the others who sacrificed for our freedom.

Some of those are living in the Navajo Nation, including the amazing Code Talkers, like the man in uniform pictured nearby. More than 300 Navajo men served in the Marine Corps, transmitting tactical messages in codes built upon their native languages, and helping the Allies win the war in the Pacific.

We are not all war heroes, yet everyone leaves a legacy, a memory of a life well-lived for the benefit of their loved ones. Water With Blessings has begun working with the directors of several funeral homes to introduce our Legacy of Love Program. There are many generous people who, even at the end of their lives, prefer to keep helping others. Often you will see the request in their obituaries: In lieu of flowers...

We at Water With Blessings will recognize these memorial gifts by giving to the family the names, locations, photos, and number of children of the Water Women who have been have sponsored. They can then share this information with those who have made this important Legacy of Love donation.

We ask all of you in our loyal Community for Mission to spread the word when you have the opportunity. Perhaps it can help shine a ray of hope to those who are grieving the loss of a loved one.

At Water With Blessings, prayer is the foundation of our work. And you may be sure that our Water Women around the world, and everyone in our Community for Mission, will be praying for those generous souls who remember and care for the poorest of the poor, even at the hour of their deaths.
Meet Serece, One of Our
Water Women in Haiti
Serece lives in Misot, a village in the Paillant Commune of Haiti. She is 30 years old, and is very proud to be providing clean water to her own two children, and for three neighboring families.

She is one of the thousands of Water Women you have helped underwrite through the Village By Village Program in Haiti. With their buckets and Sawyer PointONE Filters, they are wiping out choleras and other water-borne diseases.

Working together, we can give more mothers like Serece the chance to provide clean water, in Haiti, and in impoverished areas all over the world.
On Coffee Chat This Week: Sr. Larraine Live From the Navajo Nation
Sr. Larraine has begun her trip to the Navajo Nation, helping to launch our long-awaited project to bring easy access to clean water for families and children there. This is a very exciting time, and she will be hosting this week’s Coffee Chat live from the Navajo Nation.

We’re not sure who she’ll have with her, but you can count on hearing great news of the first week’s successes.

So grab your beverage and log in to an on-location Coffee Chat, this coming Friday at Noon Eastern Time. As always, we look forward to having you with us!
Please consider joining our team of crafters, and keep sending us your extra yarn...

As you read last week, we have wonderful new partners at the Kentucky Correctional Institute for Women, who are crocheting water socks to cover the Sawyer PointONE Filters for our Water Women around the world.

But we need more: more crafters and more yarn!

As we roll out the new project in the Navajo Nation, new Water Women will be trained there every day. And that means we need more crocheted covers.

If you would like to join the team, please click the button below. And as you can see nearby, we can always use your extra yarn.

Thank you again!
We believe every child should be drinking clean water. Are you with us?
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