In April of 2014, Flint changed its source of water from the Detroit River to the Flint River leading to the onset of many health issues such as causing brain damage among young children. This month, Wakefield Student Ambassadors decided to start a service to provide clean, usable water to the Residence of Flint, Michigan.

The Student Ambassador’s role in school is to help new students adjust to high school. This year however, they wanted to contribute to a cause beyond Wakefield.

“We are trying to make the Student Ambassadors more legitimate,”said Counselor Jill Toborowsky. “They show everybody around and help guide new students, but they wanted to do some service work.”

Junior, Palace Jones is leading the fundraiser. She suggested that the service work consist of providing bottled water to Flint, Michigan.  The donation inspired members within the organization to contribute to the cause because of their passion for helping.

“Our nation needs to band together and assist Flint in as many ways as possible,” said Junior, Bryn Goldsmith. “Not enough is being done about it to effectively help them at this time.”

Donations for the Flint Water crisis are being held next to the library during lunch every Tuesday and Thursday this month. Students can donate two cases of bottled water and get up to two hours of service for Beta Club or National Honor Society.

Most students don’t have to worry about having a consistent source of clean water to drink or bathe in, but in Flint, this is a daily struggle.

“A lot of us are very fortunate for what we have, and we should reach out by using the tools that we have to the best of our ability and help out other people,” said Junior Emma Finn.

For charities on this scale, students usually think the donations go to far away countries that they will never visit, but this crisis does not stray far from home.

Flint is a city not unlike Raleigh. Their water being contaminated is something that could happen to Raleigh or anywhere else. It is our duty as Americans to help those in need when a tragedy strikes.

“It’s crazy to me that people in America do not have clean water; this is not a third-world country,” Toborowsky said. “Anything we can do to help out our fellow Americans we should be involved in.”