THE GOSHEN NEWS
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North Goshen Mennonite Junior Youth Group spent a day recently cleaning the Elkhart River.
The group started at Shanklin Park and canoed to Rogers Park, picking up trash as they went Aug. 22.
The youth were encouraged to think about clean water during a recent Sunday school lesson, according to their teacher Bek Linsenmeyer.
They heard about the impact of water pollution, including:
• 1 out of 6 people worldwide live without access to clean drinking water.
• More than 3.5 million people die each year from water related disease
• Lack of clean water kills more people every year than all the wars and conflicts in the world.
• And for $36 we could provide one person with clean water for a year.
After a moment of silence, someone said “We could do that.”
Immediately the youth began suggesting ideas for how they could raise money for clean water, finally deciding on a fund-raiser.
Kids got pledges for going on the river cleanup and challenged the congregation to empty their pockets of change for clean water. Proceeds will go to a Mennonite Central Committee clean water project.
