How a Stoystown family's water woes were resolved by HometownH2O and charitable partners
STOYSTOWN ― For the first time in six months, the Godin family can take showers or do a load of laundry without leaving home, nor will they have to fill and take home 30 to 40 jugs of water twice a week for drinking, cooking and other basic needs of daily life.
On May 8, a group of helpers came to the Godins’ home along Route 30 to dig a 500-foot well, install a well liner, new piping, pumps and a motor, and help with some landscaping work around the property.
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The well drilling project was a combined effort among several national organizations that give back by correcting water scarcity issues for families across the United States: The Chris Long Foundation and its Waterboys/HometownH2O program, Xylem Watermark and the Water Well Trust. Additional support was provided by Aquaflow Pump and Supply, Sperry Well Drilling, of Berlin, and the Talking Rain Beverage Co.
What happened to the Godins' well?
The Godins’ well stopped producing in November, about nine years after Jamey Godin and his wife, Brandy, bought the property for their growing family. The Godins have five children, aged 11 to 18. Jamey works in retail for a cell phone company, and Brandy manages the family home and the children's daily activities.
“When we first bought the place, the well was awesome, we had no problems with it,” Jamey Godin said. “Everything was going good, we were fine with everything, it just eventually got to the point (where it stopped working).”
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The Godins have a freshwater spring on their property, as well, but it was not sufficient for the family’s needs and was unreliable in the winter, Jamey said.
As he called around the area for professional advice and estimates to resolve the issue, Jamey was told about the Water Well Trust, a national nonprofit that works to “provide a clean water supply to American families living without access to a precious resource most of us take for granted,” according to its website.
He said he filled out an application with the Water Well Trust, hoping to qualify for a low-interest loan.
Who helped the Godins dig the new well?
The Godins then learned they were eligible for assistance through the Chris Long Foundation’s Waterboys initiative/HometownH2O program, which works with partners like Xylem Watermark to provide clean water for minority, low-income and rural families across the U.S.
“There’s a lot of different organizations, I guess, that are out there,” Jamey said. “They use the Water Well Trust to help them find people. So we went through them (Waterboys/HometownH2O), and they’re the ones who are providing help with getting the well done and everything, and then Water Well Trust got a hold of Xylem.”
Chris Herron from Xylem Inc. said the company’s philanthropic arm, Xylem Watermark, partners with several organizations, including the Water Well Trust and the Chris Long Foundation, to determine if and how they can help a family like the Godins resolve their water supply issues.
“Our slogan is ‘Solve Water,’ so we want to be able to build products and supply products for people around the world, to help them get clean water and sustain water supplies,” he said.
“So in a situation like this, it’s something we’re already passionate about. But to be able to come here and help a family with five children ... to be able to provide them with water so they don’t have to worry about that anymore, that’s my favorite part of my job.”
Xylem Watermark also coordinated volunteers to help do landscaping work around the yard, Herron said.
What is the HometownH2O program?
The work on the Godins’ well was fully funded through the Waterboys/HometownH2O program and the partnering businesses and organizations involved, said Cain Turner of the Chris Long Foundation.
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He said this was the 19th project completed since 2019 through the HometownH2O program, which focuses on “providing clean water to American communities, households and schools,” according to its website.
“Chris Long is a two-time Super Bowl champion who played for the Philadelphia Eagles,” Turner said. “He’s deeply passionate about doing (this) work in Pennsylvania; that’s why we’re here, but we do work all over, really.”
The HometownH2O program is also looking for another project in Pennsylvania, one that would help the family of a veteran resolve a water supply problem. Anyone who is interested should complete the application at waterwelltrust.org, call 833-539-8200 or send an email to info@waterwelltrust.org.
“We encourage people to apply at waterwelltrust.org. You might get a low-interest loan, or in some cases, a partner might step in,” Turner said.
“This family did not know that we were going to be stepping in and funding the project, so it ended up working out and they were thrilled. It’s wonderful when things work out this way and it can be fully funded.”
This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Stoystown PA family's well restored by water-related charities
