Ottawa runner raising money to provide clean water for Africans.
Passersby in Ottawa during the mornings this week might catch sight of a young mother lugging a large water jug with two kids — one strapped to her back— in tow on the downtown sidewalks.
Sarah Heuser, 34, a special education instructor at Ottawa High School who lives on the city’s South Side, has become her own visual aid as she raises awareness for Africa’s clean water problem during her unique training sessions for the 2017 Bank of America Chicago Marathon, Sunday, Oct 8.
"Most people in the United States have access to clean drinking water and, about two years ago, I became interested in supporting the World Vision organization," Heuser said.
According to its website, World Vision is the largest non-governmental provider of clean water in the world.
"I ran with nearly 2,000 other runners for this charity where we raised nearly $40,000 for various African water projects," she said.
"World Vision is a very hands-on on organization, which gives some 85 percent of its total donations to the actual people and services that they need to have a better life.
So my children and I are doing a mock water fetch of what the kids and woman in Africa experience on a daily basis in order to raise awareness and money for the cause."
"I’m really looking forward to the trip to meet some of the children and people that World Vision is helping," Heuser said.
"Sarah is amazing," McIntyre said.