In the summer months in Arizona, staying hydrated can become an issue, especially for those who are homeless, unemployed, or who have special needs.
ASU instructor Jennifer Brougham not only realized the issue, but also is seeking to make a difference with a project she titled “8 Ounces at a Time.”
Brougham, who works in the School of Social and Family Dynamics, has worked with the homeless in the past. Last year, she went to visit the Salvation Army location on Myrtle Drive in Tempe and learned about the cost of water and the higher demand for it.
“A lot more families were coming in due to the economy,” she said.
While she was there, she was able to see the issue first hand as well, Brougham said.
“There was this family with a little girl that was about 18 months old,” she said. “The only thing they asked for was to have to water put into their daughter’s sippy cup.”
Brougham decided she wanted to help, and got her students involved in the process through her classroom’s Blackboard site.
She posted water donation information in the “community corner” part of her Blackboard page and soon received feedback from her students.
“The students would come up to me and say ‘we’re poor college students, but we really want to help out families,’” she said. “I told them they could bring eight ounces a day, for college students on a limited budget. Everyone can afford one bottle of water.”
Brougham said her colleagues also posted information about the donation project on their Blackboard pages to help spread the word.
Brougham and her students brought water bottles to the Tempe Salvation Army location, and within a few weeks students, staff and ASU ROTC units helped the Salvation Army collect over 1000 bottles of water, a feat that she thought was impressive.
“I couldn’t believe how amazing the students were,” she said. “I think ASU students have a great sense of community. They have proved me right.”
Brougham said she also encouraged her online students to help out as well, even if they are from other areas.
“Every city has a church or a food pantry or a Salvation Army,” she said. “I actually got an email from a student in California that she started a donation branch in her community.”
Brougham said she plans on continuing “8 Ounces at a Time” throughout the rest of the summer and through the next school year. She said students could help out now by stopping by a Salvation Army branch and donating water.
“Water is always a problem,” Brougham said. “It’s something that we recognize on a regular basis.”
Reach the reporter at katherine.torres@asu.edu
