Sponsors - How To Become a Sponsor

A Note from Peter Gray, Volunteer President Children's Water Education Council

Dear Stakeholder:

I would like to advise you of an exciting educational program that takes place each spring and fall across the province. I am sure that your company receives numerous requests for support of a wide variety of causes, however, I hope that you find this one different, and one that matches your ideals relating to children, education and the environment. Over the twenty one festivals in 2007, many children in grades two through five will attend each festival, reaching over 42,000 students per year.

The Children's Water Education Council works with the festival to create a hands-on, interactive event held annually at various locations across the province. Each spring and fall elementary students splash their way to a better understanding of the importance of water in their lives. Children learn about conserving water, protecting our water resources, understanding the water cycle, discovering the interface between water and technology in their lives, and fostering respect toward water and the environment.

Through forty hands-on activity centres, the festival focuses on changing attitudes of children towards water, ensuring a clean and safe water supply for the future. However, there are serious limitations to the program. The festivals depend etirely on money raised each year from local industry and commerce. I would like to invite you to make an investment in the future, not only your own but also the future of generations to come, by sponsoring your local Children's Groundwater Festival or contribute to the Council which works to develop programs across the province.

Why not join the many other corporations that have realized the importance of investing in our children, their education, and the environment. We would be pleased to accept any donation in the form of money, applicable product or services in kind, or the efforts of volunteers from your organization. However, our goal is to find a group of core supporters who understand the importance of the program we offer and are willing to partner with your local festival by taking on a long-term commitment of a specified amount annually.

Thanks for your consideration of this invitation.
Sincerely,

Peter Gray
Partner, Frontline Environmental Management Inc.
Volunteer President, Children's Water Education Council

Background History

The first Children's Groundwater Festival was held in 1994 at Agriculture Museum, Milton. The festival promotes environmental awareness through the initiation and support of community partnerships. The festival moved locations in 1996 to Doon Heritage Crossroads in Kitchener. The Waterloo Wellington Children's Groundwater Festival was created.

2007

• Waterloo Wellington Children's Groundwater Festival, Kitchener ·
• Peel Children's Groundwater Festival, Brampton
• York Children's Groundwater Festival, New Market ·
• Durham Children's Groundwater Festival, Oshawa ·
• Grey Bruce Clean Water Festival, Chesley ·
• Eastern Ontario Children's Groundwater Festival, Ottawa ·
• Peterborough Children's Groundwater Festival, Peterborough
• Niagara Children's Water Festival, Grimsby
• Brantford Children's Water Festival
• Essex Children's Water Festival
• Haliburton Children's Water Festival
• Halton Children's Water Festival
• Lakehead Children's Water Festival
• Kenora Children's Water Festival
• London Middlesex Children's Water Festival
• Sault Ste. Marie Children's Water Festival
• Sudbury Children's Water Festival
• Timmins Children's Water Festival

The Children's Water Education Council

Mission: To educate students about the importance of water conservation, protection, technology, and ecology.

Goals: To foster decision makers, initiate the process of behavioural change and to empower children to initiate change within their homes, schools and communities. We are proud when children who participate in our programs become catalysts for change by taking information and new found respect back to their own environments.

Overall Objectives: In creating the Council we take the organization a step forward to broaden the scope of the groundwater message. The Council is taking on three initiatives:

• To maintain water festival and help with new festival development in other communities
• Out Reach programs to other facilities
• Develop programs for grade 8, to extend our educational programming

Community Leadership

Implementation of local Children's Groundwater Festivals are conducted by volunteer committees made up of local municipal, education and industry partners. The Waterloo Wellington Children's Groundwater Festival coordinating committee is made up of people from the Regional Municipality of Waterloo including Doon Heritage Crossroads, Water Services, and the Grand River Conservation Authority, the City of Guelph - Waterworks Department. The Peel Children's Water Festival and the York Children's Water Festival are partnered with their local Regional Municipality. The Durham Children's Groundwater Festival is partnered with the Central Lake Ontario Conservation. Grey Bruce Clean Water Festival partners with the Bruce Resource Stewardship Network and the Sydenham Conservation Foundation. All festivals partner with industries and local stakeholders.

Volunteer Support

The festival depends on the support of many volunteers who enjoy working with children and who communicate effectively. It is highly beneficial for volunteers to have an interest in water conservation and environmental issues.

Volunteers are provided with a training program involving both hands-on and printed information. The festival has developed a complete set of instructions for each activity centre which is reviewed and updated regularly.

The festival requires over 80 volunteers each day. All sectors of the community play a vital role in the volunteer program ? so everyone wins. Private and public sector professionals derive great satisfaction through their proactive participation within their communities while high school, college and university students enthusiastically educate the children.

Learning Centres

The festival consists of approximately 40 interactive learning centres, which are unique and fun for students in grades three through six. Students receive several key messages: use water wisely, protect your water supply, examine the relationship between water and technology, and celebrate the role of water in the ecosystem. The learning centres incorporate current curriculum requirements with hands-on learning activities. Each learning centre is designed to:

• be interactive, interesting and entertaining for young children
• complement Ontario Curriculum learning outcomes
• promote specific messages that are clearly relevant and easily identified by children
• provide activities and models that bridge the gap between scientific and environmental issues and daily routines
• transport with ease and adapt to both indoor and outdoor settings
• optimize student learning by ensuring low facilitator to student ratios

These initiatives are geared to society's youngest members in the hope that they will spread the messages throughout their communities.

Our Request of You

Maintaining groundwater quality and quantity in the new millennium will be extremely important for the economic growth and stability within the province. The contamination of Walkerton's water supply by E. Coli has heightened everyone's interest in the water system. The Festivals are an excellent starting point for educating children about this important resource. We are planning new activities and doing research to make the program even better so that the next generation is better educated and more environmentally aware. But we can't do it without your ongoing support. Why not start off the next year right and support this amazingly fun, curriculum-based event that is focused totally around children, education and the environment!

Your local Festival would like to invite you to become a "partner" in this important program and contribute to the environmental education of your present and future consumers, employees and neighbours.

The festivals are held either in the spring or fall and are held over a five day period. It is made possible by the hard work and dedication of almost 400 volunteers and over forty thousand dollars raised each year from local industry and commerce.

In order for the festivals to continue, the Children's Water Education Council is approaching you to consider assisting them in the financing of this program. We would be pleased to accept any charitable contribution in the form of money, applicable product or service in-kind, or the efforts of volunteers from your organization. However, we hope that you will join our core group of supporters who understand the importance of the program we offer and are willing to take on a long term commitment of $1,000.00 to $2,000.00 annually. A receipt for income tax purposes will be issued by the Grand River Foundation. The Grand River Foundation has taken the local festival on as one of their many worthwhile projects. If your organizations requires a receipt, please make cheques payable to the Grand River Foundation, with a notation that the funds are to go towards the Children's Water Education Council.

If you have any questions or require additional information please contact our fund raising committee:

Eric Hodgins, Regional Municipality of Waterloo 519-575-4434
Peter Gray, Frontline Environmental Management 519-741-9011

Our Commitment to You

The local Festivals exists because of local business sponsors and support from the Children's Water Education Council. Our major commitment to you is that any donation you give will go directly towards providing a unique educational event for children that focuses on the environment. Over 4,000 local school children will be reached by your sponsorship. We wish to show our sincere appreciation for your generous donation in the following manner:

In-Kind Applicable product or service in-kind
Benefits based on equivalent monetary value of donations.

Stream <$500

Name listed as a Friend on: sponsor boards at the festival, festival literature, Teachers' Resource Buckets, and the new Children's Water Education Council's Web Site.
Certificate of appreciation.
Invitation to the VIP event at your local festival where you will receive lunch and a t-shirt.

River $500+

All benefits listed above (unless upgraded) . . . PLUS:
Name listed as a Supporter on: sponsor boards at the festival, festival literature, Teachers' Resource Buckets, and the new Children's Water Education Council's Web Site.
Opportunity to attend the festival at a time mutually agreeable to both parties.
Festival literature and a Teacher's Resource Bucket available upon request.

Lake $1,000+

All benefits listed above (unless upgraded) . . . PLUS:
Name listed as a Benefactor on: sponsor boards at the festival, festival literature, Teachers' Resource Buckets, and the new Children's Water Education Council's Web Site. Children's Groundwater Festival video available upon request. Link* to the Children's Water Education Council's Web Site. Participation and recognition at the VIP event.

Watershed $5,000+

All benefits listed above (unless upgraded) . . . PLUS:
Logo** and Name listed as a Sponsor on: sponsor boards at the festival, festival literature, Teachers' Resource Buckets, and the Children's Water Education Council's Web Site.
Recognition Plaque presented to you at one of your board meetings when requested.
Guided tour of the festival at a time mutually agreeable to both parties.
Participation and recognition at the VIP event for you and your board of directors.

Partner volunteer committee member

All benefits listed above (unless upgraded) . . . PLUS:
Logo** and Name listed as a Partner on: sponsor boards at the festival, festival literature, Teachers' Resource Buckets, and the Children's Water Education Council's Web Site.
The opportunity to make decisions about and direct the Festival.

* Please provide us with your web site address in order to be recognized in this way.
**Please provide us with your logo in order to be recognized in this way.

In order to properly recognize your contribution, please let us know your level of commitment by March 1, 2002. Commitments received later than March 1, are still needed and will be greatly appreciated; we will do everything possible to recognize your contribution appropriately.

Help us make this dream come true!

Your financial contribution is not only an investment in the program but is in fact an investment in ensuring a clean and safe water supply for the future generation!

Please make cheques payable to the:
Children's Water Education Council
c/o Doon Heritage Crossroads
10 Huron Rd. , Kitchener, ON
N2P 2R7
Tel: (519) 748-1914
Fax: (519) 748-0009

Note: If a tax receipt is required make cheques payable to : Grand River Foundation. Be sure to indicate that you are supporting the Children's Water Education Council.

A Charitable Tax Receipt will be issued. The Grand River Foundation is a registered Charitable Organization under the Business Number 11894 6045 RR0001.