JNF Wins World Water Monitoring Day Award

Contact: Ariel Vered • Communications Manager • 212-879-9305 ext. 227 • avered@jnf.org

April 8, 2010 – New York, NY – Jewish National Fund (JNF) earned a Water Champions award in the first annual World Water Monitoring Day (WWMD) Awards bestowed in honor of World Water Day 2010 on March 22.

New in 2009-2010, the WWMD Awards program is coordinated by the Water Environment Federation (WEF), a not-forprofit technical and educational organization, and the International Water Association (IWA), a global network of water professionals. Awards are given to a group and an individual from each continent, honoring outstanding achievements in boosting awareness of water quality issues. The Water Champion awards recognize superior levels of relevance, educational effort, support and innovation in the promotion of water quality through the WWMD program.

JNF was recognized in the North American category.

"We are incredibly honored by this recognition of the efforts of our staff to raise awareness about water," said Joseph Hess, JNF Vice President of Governmental Relations. "JNF has been at the forefront in educating our children about the importance and value of potable water for humanity."

Since 2004, JNF has provided WWMD kits to 300 schools annually in the US and Israel through a generous grant from the U.S. Forest Service, reaching approximately 19,510 students. JNF’s program takes place from September 18 to October 18 of every school year, and participates annually in the National WWMD Kick-Off event hosted in Washington, DC with participating Jewish schools from the area. The WWMD kits are equipped with the materials necessary for children to test their local water for four important environmental indicators. JNF has developed a variety of education materials connecting the use of the kits in studying of water in local communities to the water issues in Israel. Since the holiday of Sukkot falls during the program, the materials also deal with the holiday's themes of water and harvest. JNF’s involvement in World Water Monitoring Day has been crucial in creating a connection between private Jewish schools and WWMD resources.

"Each year we continue to reach more and more students, both in the United States and in Israel," said Michelle Wachtel, Director of Education Programs and Resource Development. "In recent years we have further developed our program by creating educational content that engages students in learning about the critical water issues facing Israel, and how they can make a global impact by caring and monitoring their local water sources. We look forward to continuing our active participation in WWMD."

JNF has plans to expand its program and is developing new partnerships with sister organizations in Canada, Australia and the UK to educate students about the importance of water.
WWMD is an international education and outreach program that builds public awareness and involvement in protecting water resources around the world. The annual program connects citizens with their local water bodies through a series of simple, hands-on monitoring tests. Officially observed each year on September 18, a total of 122,599 people in six continents participated in last year's program.

The Water Champion award consists of a commemorative plaque and a choice of WWMD materials up to a value of US $1,000 for groups. Items selected may include any combination of water monitoring equipment, relevant resources, or promotional materials. More information about World Water Monitoring Day can be found on the website at www.worldwatermonitoringday.org.

For more information, please visit our website at www.jnf.org/waterkits or contact Ariel Vered at 212-879-9305 ext. 227, avered@jnf.org.

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Jewish National Fund (JNF) began in 1901 collecting coins in blue boxes to purchase land and return the Jewish people to their homeland. In over 109 years, JNF has evolved into a global environmental leader and become the central address for partnering with the land and people of Israel. JNF has planted 250 million trees; built over 1,000 parks and recreational areas; constructed security roads; educated students around the world about Israel; created new communities so that Jews from around the world would have a place to call home; discovered new means of growing plants under arid conditions, bringing green to the desert; and built over 200 reservoirs and water recycling centers, increasing Israel’s water supply by 10%. Today, JNF is supporting Israel’s newest generation of pioneers by bringing life to the Negev Desert, Israel’s last frontier. 

A United Nations NGO, JNF sponsors international conferences on desertification, shares afforestation techniques, and funds research on arid land management. JNF is a registered 501(c)(3) organization and continuously earns top ratings from charity overseers. For more information on JNF, call 888-JNF-0099 or visit www.jnf.org.