Bringing Drinking Water to Those Who Need It Most | by Michelle Stolte

A Valmont-supported AquaTower in the
Philippines. See more photos here.

If you have been following us for a while, or are friends with us on Facebook, you may recall a promotion we did in 2012 when we first launched our Facebook page. For every “like” we received, we donated a dollar, up to $1,000, to an organization called Planet Water.

We are very lucky to have this amazing non-profit organization, with such a global focus, based in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. Plant Water’s sole focus is to bring clean drinking water to school children and residents in under-developed communities around the world. This is done by installing water filtration systems, oftentimes at or near schools, in these communities.

But the group doesn’t stop there. In addition to installing filtration systems, Planet Water also creates educational programs on water-health and hygiene, and trains local representatives, so they can continue to train their communities.

Our donation, as well as additional donations from our parent company, Valmont_® Industries, went toward filtration system installations in the Philippines, India, and China. When possible, Valmont employees from our facilities in these regions helped with the installation and even the engineering of the tower that supports the filtration system. 

Planet Water receives donations from large and small organizations, with some of the larger donors including PepsiCo, JP Morgan, Levi Strauss & Co., and Starbucks. The group brings clean drinking water to communities throughout Asia, Pakistan, and the Dominican Republic. 

The cause is noble and one that hits very close to home for those of us working in irrigation, where water, its conservation, and its availability to future generations is what we strive to improve each day.

To learn more about Planet Water or to make a donation, please visit planet-water.org.

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Michelle Stolte Global Marketing Manager Michelle has been at Valley Irrigation for more than 10 years and is finally no longer a newbie! She has spent her entire time at Valley in the Marketing Department (international and domestic) and loves every minute of it. Michelle enjoys traveling and spending time with her husband. She also likes reading, swing dancing (although she isn't really that good...), and warm weather.

How Will Planet Water Spend Valley Irrigation Donation? | by Jill Zwiener

Mark Steele and Michelle Stolte

Well, you guys did it! Through the Valley_® Water Their World™ promotion, the followers of our Valley Irrigation Facebook page helped to donate $1,000 to Planet Water, a non-profit organization that brings clean water to disadvantaged communities. The work that Planet Water does is life-changing, so by your participation, you’re now helping change lives, too!

Last week, Michelle Stolte, Valley Irrigation Global Marketing Manager, and I had the opportunity to spend some time with Mark Steele, Planet Water Founder and CEO. Not only did we get to see his cool new digs in the historic Bull Durham Building in downtown Omaha, NE, but we also had a chance to sit down and chat. He told us the money donated by Valley Irrigation will help fund the project they’ve implemented in Cambodia. This project supports schools and rural villages in the Siem Reap province (for those of you who are scratching your heads thinking, “Now where is that located?” it’s in the north/northwest part of the country). Gotta feel great about helping kids have fresh drinking water!

Mark said Planet Water has nearly 300 projects implemented in villages and schools in 10 countries in Asia. They have a number of new developments in the works, including looking to extend their childhood education programs into a community outreach program. The target will be caregivers and young children who are too young to attend school. What a great organization! We are proud that we had the opportunity to work with Planet Water and hope Valmont has the chance to continue the partnership!

Thanks again to everyone who was a part of the Valley Water Their World promotion! And don’t let the fact that we’ve already reached our goal stop you from giving more. Remember: You can make a difference!

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for information on future partnerships and information on Planet Water!