Fundraiser brings clean water to international schools

Katie Spotz, a South Portland resident, hosted a virtual fitness event to bring clean water to schools in need.

SOUTH PORTLAND — A local activist and record-breaking runner managed to exceed her recent fundraising goal to raise money for clean water at a Honduras school as well as a Ugandan school on April 22.

Katie Spotz, a South Portland resident, hosted an online fitness class, “Raising the Barre for Water” with barre yoga instructor Emily Sferra, who taught the course virtually from Southern California. Some attendees participated in-person at The Point community center, located at 345 Clarks Pond Parkway.

With participants as far away as the United Kingdom attending for the cause, the event was able to fund a clean water project for the Luis Daniel Fonseca School in Honduras, Spotz said. The funds raised will also cover a rainwater collection tank at the Wakiso Secondary School for the Deaf in Uganda.

“The other school that will also be funded because of tonight is a school for 250 students in Uganda,” she said. “They already had a rainwater collection, but with the funding from tonight they will be able to have two rainwater collection tanks. That’s pretty incredible that we have not only been able to fund that one project, but surpass the original goal.”

Continue reading the complete article written by Catherine Bart here.