2025 Walk for Water Will Change 12,000 Lives Worldwide

On Saturday, March 29, 2025, with the sun shining and the azaleas in full bloom at Charleston’s Riverfront Park, Water Mission hosted more than 4,900 people for our 19th annual Walk for Water. Participants, volunteers, and their families gathered to simulate the daily walk that millions of women and girls take to collect their water. The event raised more than $625,000 to help approximately 12,000 people have access to safe water. 

Water Mission’s flagship event began at 8 a.m., showcasing sponsor tents, games, food trucks, and a children’s area. Along with raising awareness and funds for safe water, the event provided community and connection for Lowcountry residents and out-of-state visitors. 

Cary Bocklet and his sons, Mike and Chris, run Bocklet Orthodontics, a father-and-son orthodontic practice in Charleston. The Bocklet family’s Walk sponsorship and decades-long support of Water Mission reflect the impact that long-term partnerships can have on ministries, businesses, and people. 

“We have been [sponsors] for many, many years,” Cary Bocklet said. “My wife has worked with Molly and George Greene since 1995 and has been with them since Water Mission was created… We’re so happy to see the way they serve people [and] how they spread the gospel, and it makes us so excited and encouraged to be a part of it.” 

Many Charleston-area schools brought teams of students to the Walk, taking the opportunity to educate children on the global water crisis, Water Mission’s solutions, and how they can help. 

Marilyn Lane, the principal of Charleston Bilingual Academy, shared, “We think it’s really important that students understand the global water crisis all around the world because we want to be those that are spreading the love of Jesus, and that means that we are meeting the needs of people…. We want [students] to see what is really happening all around the world and how they can play a part in meeting that need.” 

The sixth- through eighth-grade students at Charleston Bilingual Academy raised funds for the Walk by creating a “drop-in-the-bucket” challenge, meeting their goal of raising $2,000. 

“We would put the coins in the buckets, and at the end of every week, we would count them all up as a class and then we’d see how many each group had,” said Oliver, an eighth grader at Charleston Bilingual. “We had little rewards along the way to meet our goal, and the class that raised the most money got to go have a picnic at the playground.” 

Likewise, Gary and Eileen Turner, first-time walkers, were excited to teach their three daughters about gratitude and service as they walked. 

The Walk started a little after 9 a.m., beginning with welcomes and invocations from Water Mission’s Senior Manager of Charleston Community Engagement Mary Howell, Water Mission’s CEO and President George Greene IV, and Water Mission’s Co-Founder Dr. George Greene III. 

Walkers gathered with their teams, carrying empty buckets for the first leg of the route, filling them with dirty water at Water Mission’s Global Headquarters, and walking the second leg with full, heavy buckets. 

“We’ve had a great time doing the Walk for Water the last three years,” said Hal Huser, a fifth-grade teacher at Mason Preparatory School, Water Mission Volunteer Advocate, and Team Captain. “We get together, we rally around the flag, and we get to enjoy this experience together to see just a little bit what it’s like for so many women and girls around the world who have to do this, not just with a little bucket, but with a 5-gallon jug.” 

This year, Mason Prep raised more than $7,200, with the school’s sixth graders holding lemonade stands, bake sales, and tennis competitions to raise funds. 

Walkers also carried flags representing the countries where Water Mission has served. Suhas, a student at Emory University, serves as a Water Mission Champion, actively advocating for Water Mission on his college campus and in the Atlanta area. 

“This is the flag of Bangladesh,” Suhas said, proudly. “I am Bengali, so I saw this flag, and I saw that Water Mission did a lot of work there, and I said—this is so cool to be able to be out here, not only as a Champion, but also to be here for my country.”  

Thanks to the support of friends like you and the many volunteers who made the event possible, the 2025 Walk for Water will change the lives of thousands of men, women, and children around the world. 

We invite you to mark your calendars for Saturday, March 21, 2026, for the 20th annual Walk for Water to be a part of walking so that others don’t have to. Meanwhile, you can get involved in a Walk in your area and learn more about why we walk.