BRISTOL, R.I. — The Roger Williams University and Gordon College Softball teams have partnered to play for the 900 Project as part of the teams' doubleheader this Saturday. In addition, the RWU Softball team will be recognizing their alumnae between games.
The Hawks began promoting this cause last year, where their first-ever Play for a Cause game was a huge success and brought a great deal of awareness to the community.
They will be selling Play for a Cause t-shirts at this year's game and will also be accepting donations of any amount made out to the 900 Project. Fans can also take a latrine coin jar and bring awareness to the project and tell others about it.
The 900 Project came about in the summer of 2012, when Veronica Alicea (Trumbull, Conn.) took a trip to the Dominican Republic and Haiti during the summer of 2012 with a group of high school students.
"We went to serve a church in the Dominican Republic and run a VBS Camp for kids," she stated, "it was an amazing trip, but something was super special about it."
Alicea and the students ventured to Tilory, Haiti and experienced devastating poverty first hand.
"As these high school kids and leaders walked around this village we couldn't believe what we saw—the dirt roads, no water, no electricity, and people in dirty ripped clothing," said Alicea. "It broke our hearts."
At that moment, Alicea and her team decided that they couldn't leave the village without helping, so they asked the pastor of the church in the village what could be done, and here the 900 Project was born.
"He [the pastor] told us that there are 1,000 families living in this village and 900 of them don't have a bathroom, which leaves them to go wherever they find space and this contaminates the stream of their only water source.".
Upon returning home, the group took action and 18 students, with the guidance of leaders, put the plan into play.
Since the project began in 2012, 360 latrines, out of 900, have been built, which means over $130,000 has been raised in just two years.
Saturday will also be special for the Hawks as alumnae return to the field and will be recognized for the dedication and contributions to the program during their time with Roger Williams University.
The doubleheader is scheduled to begin at 12:00 PM and alumnae will be recognized between games.
For more information about the 900 Project, visit www.the900project.org.
