CBS NEWS – A group of women in Flint, Michigan, is stepping up to help those affected the city’s ongoing water crisis, which they say the state has failed to address.
When things weren’t getting better, Johnson reached out to Alpha Kappa Alpha’s corporate office for help, and they delivered a $10,000 gift.
The regional arm matched the funds.
When the water woes first began, the group raised nearly $80,000 from sources all over the country to help the city’s citizens.
Flint Mayor Karen Weaver and Chief Public Health Advisor Pamela Pugh, both members of the sorority, cheered the latest donation.
Flint’s troubles began in April 2014 when the city’s water source was switched from Lake Huron and the Detroit River to the Flint River, which resulted in lead contamination and other issues.
While the state says the system hasn’t had levels of lead exceeding the federal limitfor nearly two years, residents are still using faucet filters or bottled water because an ongoing mass replacement of pipes could spike lead levels in individual houses.
"We are back, not as bad as we were, but we’re still in the situation where our homes don’t have clean drinking water," Johnson said.
"We will keep going until the crisis is over."
Alpha Kappa Alpha will kick off its latest water drive, thanks to the latest $20,000 donation, on June 30.