Photos by Jenna Aguilera
Drinking water has never felt more important.
The 10 Days charity campaign began Saturday in the amphitheater. The campaign was preceded by a small concert held the previous Friday in the amphitheater that introduced and attempted to spread further awareness of the campaign. The campaign is part of a larger organization called Living Water.
For those unfamiliar, the 10 Days Campaign is a 10-day challenge in which people refrain from drinking tea, juice or coffee. The money used to buy these beverages is instead donated to drilling wells in villages in developing countries currently without clean water.
The campaign was founded by a group of college sophomores from Texas A&M University. According to the campaign director, Henry Proegler, he first got the idea for the campaign after attending a concert.
At the concert, the musician voiced his concerns about the water crisis plaguing underdeveloped countries.
“After that, I just couldn’t get the issue out of my head,” Proegler said.
Along with two of his friends, Proegler founded the 10 Days Campaign on his campus to help the countries desperately in need of clean water.
Shortly afterward, Proegler’s campaign was picked up by Living Water International, an organization dedicated to bringing clean water to developing nations. Proegler now works at Living Water full time and has expanded the campaign to include college campuses nationwide.
According to 10 Days director Katy Broesche, there are more than 50 colleges nationwide, including Pepperdine, participating in the campaign. It is Pepperdine’s fifth year as a contributor to the campaign.
To spread awareness of the campaign every year, Pepperdine’s student organization Wells Project holds a concert.
The opening act of Friday’s concert was senior Karianne Larson and her band. Larson is the roommate of President of the Wells Project and senior Alyssa Alaniz. According to Larson, Alaniz and her other roommates presented her with the opportunity to perform.
“I just felt really honored,” Larson said.
However, she was convinced to join by the main act, Jillian Edwards, an upcoming artist from Nashville, Tennessee.
Edwards, a college friend of Proegler, toured with the 10 Days Campaign crew previously. One of their most recent tours was in 2012, during which Edwards and Proegler went to 20 universities over the course of five weeks.
She also contributed to the 10 Day extended play record, which was on sale during the concert.
Larson is a fan of Edwards. According to Alaniz, Edwards is Larson’s role model. The concert was the first time she ever saw her idol live.
“I just think [Edwards] has one of the purest voices,” Larson said.
Wells Project held the concert this year in Pepperdine’s amphitheater.
The reason why the concert was held in the amphitheater was to attract a larger crowd. According to Broesche, the previous concerts were held on Alumni field. The concert location was moved to a location that would be more accessible.
Despite the rather small crowd, the Wells Project’s executive board continued on with the production.
Those who were present were fairly passionate about the campaign.
Sophomore Lionel Ong said that while the concert was good, the cause was just as important. He said he hoped the money was being donated to a good cause. The students and families present now will have the responsibility of spreading the word of the concert to the other students on campus.
Broesche expressed her hopes that more students will join the cause in the following days.
“They can be a part of something bigger,” she said.
To find out more about the campaign, students can go to the main website at www.10days.cc/pepperdine.
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