"Schools for Water" founder to speak at UW-Whitewater

October 28, 2014

An American adventurer and champion of clean water will give a free public lecture at UW-Whitewater titled "Global Thirst: The Fight for Clean Drinking Water Around the World."

Katie Spotz will appear at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 10, at Young Auditorium. Her speech is part of the Contemporary Issues Lecture Series hosted by the College of Letters and Sciences.

In 2010, Spotz set a world record for her 70-day row across the Atlantic Ocean. The feat raised more than $150,000 for projects in Haiti, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Kenya.

"She did this to raise money and awareness for a very important issue -- access to clean drinking water," said Susan Johnson, assistant dean for student success in the College of Letters and Sciences and coordinator for the lecture series. "She was very successful, not only in completing her voyage, but also in meeting her fundraising goals. UW-Whitewater has several initiatives and programs focusing on water-related issues, so Spotz's visit will tie in very nicely with those efforts."

Spotz started Schools for Water, challenging ten American schools to help ten schools in Kenya provide clean water to their students. Since its formation, the organization has donated more than $250,000 to fund water projects all over the world.

Besides her Schools for Water initiative, Spotz is an ambassador for H2O for Life, a nonprofit organization that supports schools-based water projects in the developing world. She was also honored in 2010 by Glamour magazine as one of their "Women of the Year."

Spotz is the second speaker in the 2014-15 lecture series at UW-Whitewater. For more information about Spotz, visit her website.

-- Written by Jonathan Fera