cleanwater

Teach Kids to Give Back with These 3 Easy Tips-Giveaway #CleanWater #PGMom

March 4, 2015 by Kathryn 139 Comments

If there’s one life lesson that I want to be sure to teach my boys, it’s that little actions can end up having a big impact on our communities and on the world. Last year, P&G and Walmart partnered to demonstrate that fact with the Clean Water campaign. For each participating P&G product purchased at Walmart, P&G Children’s Safe Drinking Water provided one day of clean drinking water to those in impoverished countries. This year the campaign is once again in full swing with a goal to provide 25 million days of clean drinking water to those in need.

Obviously buying my favourite P&G products at Walmart is one of the easiest ways I can make a big difference in a small way, but there are plenty of other occasions when small actions can impact the community and the world. These are three methods I’ve found effective for helping my boys understand that fact.

Community Programs

Both of my boys are participating in the Scouts Canada program for the first time this year, and it has been a great way to get them involved in community initiatives in a fun way. When learning about needs vs. wants to earn a badge, the children decided to choose a charity to support and find a way to contribute. The Regina Food Bank was the charity of choice and to make the boys’ contribution especially meaningful, each was encouraged to bring their favourite non-perishable food to donate. I loved the idea of donating a favourite food because it’s also a way of teaching kids how lucky they are to have favourite foods at home when others don’t even have enough to eat. [Read more…]

Raise Awareness for Clean Water and Join in the P&G #CleanWater Photo Challenge

July 18, 2014 by Kathryn 1 Comment

Clean water is something we often take for granted here in Canada, but considering a lack of clean water causes more deaths that AIDS and malaria combined in developing countries, we really should be thinking a lot more about how lucky we are to have safe water to drink. A few months ago I shared information about the partnership with P&G and Walmart Canada to provide one day of clean drinking water to developing countries for every P&G product sold in month of April, and even had the chance to interview Jason Priestley about his participation in the program.

Now, to help reach the goal of providing 25 billion litres of safe drinking water to others, P&G and Walmart are once again teaming up to support #cleanwater by providing one day of safe drinking water for every P&G product sold at Walmart Canada stores or at Walmart.ca between now and July 31, 2014. And P&G is celebrating the movement with a fun photo challenge that could win you some amazing prizes! [Read more…]

Jason Priestley on Diaper Bags, Clean Water and the Magic of Parenthood #PGMom

May 5, 2014 by Kathryn 63 Comments

Jason Priestley may be best known for his role as teen heartthrob Brandon Walsh, but these days he has plenty of other work keeping him busy. From his guest appearance on Package Deal to directing his first full-length feature to publishing his memoir, there’s always a lot on the Vancouver-born actor’s plate. Even so, he recently took a few minutes to call me up and chat with me about his humanitarian work supporting the P&G Children’s Safe Drinking Water (CSDW) program, his experiences as a father and his love of lentil soup.

Jason’s children Ava and Dashiell, at 6 and 4, are almost the same age as my boys and I couldn’t help but wonder if he missed the baby days now that his children were getting older.

“There’s some baby things I miss,” he admits, “but there’s others I don’t miss at all. That diaper bag was the worst. I hated hauling it all over. With two kids almost exactly two years apart I had to carry that thing nonstop for over four years. And it was so loaded down…diapers, wipes, bottles, snacks, toys…it never ended! I threw a party the day I was finally able to ditch the diaper bag.”

And there’s so much enjoyment in watching a child grow up and master those basic life skills too. “Dashiell and I were in the Los Angeles airport getting ready to fly to San Francisco and Dashiell had to use the bathroom,” Jason recounts. “So I said, ‘Okay, we’ll go pee.’ And I took him in, and they had this lower, child-sized urinal in there. And I showed him what to do, and he stood up and used it! He was finally big enough to pee standing up. So we’re standing there together at the urinals peeing together for the first time and I thought to myself, ‘This is just the best. First time using a urinal.’ It was one of those moments a father remembers forever.” Jokingly, he pronounces, “Thanks, LAX Admiral’s Club!” [Read more…]

Give Back in April with the P&G #CleanWater Challenge-Giveaway #PGMom

April 15, 2014 by Kathryn 134 Comments

It’s amazing how easy it is to take clean water for granted when it’s something that has always been a part of our lives. Growing up in North America has given me the understanding that when I turn on a tap, I can drink the water that comes out without any concern. But I did a lot of travelling in my youth and I know from exploring places like Cuba and South Africa that clean water is a luxury in many parts of the world, not a right.

In fact, approximately one billion people do not have clean drinking water, many of whom are children in the developing world. As a result, thousands of children die every day. The P&G Children’s Safe Drinking Water (CSDW) Program helps provide clean drinking water to these people through a water purifying technology developed by P&G. One small P&G purification packet quickly turns 10 litres of dirty, potentially deadly water into clean, drinkable water. Nearly 7 billion litres of clean drinking water have been provided by humanitarian organizations across the globe using P&G packets, helping to save an estimated 39,000 lives in more than 75 countries.

This month, P&G is doing even more to ensure that clean water is available to those that need it by teaming up with Walmart Canada! Until April 30, P&G will donate one day of clean water through the Children’s Safe Drinking Water program for every P&G product sold in Walmart Canada stores or online at Walmart.ca! Just by shopping for the products you love and use anyways, you can help ensure that children in developing countries have fresh, clean drinking water. [Read more…]