It all seems so simple.
Concrete boxes are filled with sand containing natural bacteria that purify contaminated water and eradicate 80 percent of dangerous waterborne diseases.
Yet in impoverished countries such as Haiti, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic and Guatemala, this simple solutionof filtering water to combating illness isn’t widely available. In these and other developing countries, children are routinely found crying from stomach pains, unable to attend school, and in the most severe cases, dying from rampant infections.
The cost to build a water filter is $100, and one local Rotary member has pledged to provide the slow-sand pure water filters for an entire village for a lifetime.
As a new member to the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Rotary of Saratoga County, Mark Gasparovic of Charlton went to a Rotary district assembly held at Union College in Schenectady. There, he found his personal mission for his service work with the club.
I wasn’t aware of the impact of the poisoned water, and it was staggering news to me, said Gasparovic, who works as a geographer making maps. `These people have absolutely nothing: not safe shelter, not enough food, not even clean water.`
Gasparovic searched for a fundraising plan that would interest other Rotarians yet not place a burden on members who already invest so much of their own money into programs that help others.
He decided to put his foot to the pedal and ask for pledges for the number of miles he rode on his bicycle.
The project was also a healing one for him.
`I had a hernia operation in 2005, and was off the bike for a few weeks,` said Gasparovic, who turns 50 this year. He says he isn’t in any better shape athletically than most people. `In March 2006, I started logging in the miles, and by December, I’d gone more than 6,000 miles.`
Gasparovic rode through rain, snow and even a hailstorm that hit his hometown of Charlton. In better weather, he averaged 36 miles a day. He rode north to Ballston Spa and south to Schenectady and eventually to Sacandaga Lake.
`I only went about 12 miles an hour, and when I got to steep hills, you’d better believe I got off and walked my bike up,` said Gasparovic.
By the end of the year, he had raised $1,900. That money is being donated to Pure Water for the World, an organization founded by a Vermont Rotarian in 1994, which provides water filters to villages in need.
`Some people donated a penny a mile, some a nickel, and they were surprised how quickly it racked up,` said Gasparovic with a laugh.
The project has made a mark on Gasparovic, who, like many people, routinely think nothing about the clean water flowing from the kitchen and bathroom faucets.
`I used to leave the water running when I shaved,` said Gasparovic. `You have to think about it. We use clean water every time we flush the toilet, and people are drinking filthy water used by animals.`
BH-BL Rotary Club president Ron Serapilio said Gasparovic’s commitment is inspiring to all club members.
`When he learned about the widespread suffering of innocent people by the thousands, he took action,` said Serapilio. `Mark has shown us that one person’s commitment can start a movement, and great strides can be made, step by step, or in this case, mile by mile on a bicycle.` “