NAHANT — After the Running and Walking Well 5K took place in town on June 7, Good For Hope Inc. was able to help raise $10,000 in support of its mission to build water wells in Uganda.
According to board member Leighton O’Connor, the community gathered at the Nahant Life Saving Station, where residents showed up in droves to support the organization’s goal of helping increase access to water in impoverished areas. Proceeds from the event will be used to dig the well in the Lira District of Northern Uganda.
O’Connor stated that hundreds of people rallied together, participating as racers and serving as volunteers, while dozens of people cheered on the crowds from the sidelines to help the organization reach its milestone.
Proceeds from past races have been used to dig wells in Kenya, Tanzania, Gahanna and Morocco, according to the organization’s website.
While the organization has been able to generate funds to continue its mission overseas, the work has just begun.
What comes next, as O’Connor explained, will see the organization reaching out to missionaries in Uganda in an attempt to coordinate the construction of the next well. He elaborated on the impact he expects the organization to make in Aler, Uganda — saying that their efforts will help bring clean water to over 6,000 people.
After that, the land where the construction is intended will be surveyed to make sure everything is in order. He said that once the land has been surveyed, he expects the construction process to begin quickly, with the hope that the well will be dug by mid-July of this summer.
“This was our first 5K in Nahant. We’ve done them before in places like Lynnfield, Peabody and Beverly… but the communities really welcomed our efforts, and supported us with great enthusiasm,” O’Connor said.
