History

HISTORY OF THE WALK

The Walk for Water started in 2006 in Charleston, South Carolina, to increase awareness of the global water crisis and help Water Mission raise money to fight it. Beaufort County joined this vital cause in 2017 when five Beaufort-area churches banded together to create the first Beaufort Walk for Water.

Since then, our event has expanded from about 100 participants to an expected 1,000 this year with Walks on both sides of the Broad River, in Port Royal and Bluffton. Together, these Walks hope to raise $100,000 this year for an eight year total of more than half a million dollars. 

The Walk helps participants understand the day-to-day experience of the 2 billion people who live without access to safe, clean water by simulating the trek millions of women and children make every day to collect water. Participants are invited to carry an empty bucket for the first half of the three-mile walk, filling it with dirty water at the halfway point and carrying it to the end of the Walk.

Over the past nearly two decades, Churches, community groups and corporate partners across the country and the world have embraced the vision for the Walk for Water. As it continues to grow, the Walk's purpose is the same: to provide communities, organizations and companies with an opportunity to build awareness of the global water crisis and raise funds to fight it, making a life-changing difference in the lives of millions of people around the world. 
 

George and Molly Greene open the 2014 Walk for Water.