Spring Newsletter

Waterspirit’s Spring 2021 newsletter has arrived! Click here to take a look.

Meet Waterspirit's Newest Team Member!

Waterspirit is delighted to introduce its newest team member, Development Coordinator Sarah A. Thoma! Sarah comes to Waterspirit with expansive work experience in the areas of organizational redevelopment, strategic planning, fundraising, public relations, and community engagement.  Her innovative mindset is evident in her work in revitalizing the Governor’s Office of Volunteerism, Interfaith Caregivers of Greater Mercer County, Hurricane Sandy response efforts, and the development of a global institute for youth.  She redesigned the volunteer programs for CentraState Healthcare System, RWJ Monmouth Medical Center and Children’s Specialized Hospital. While employed in the US Department of Homeland Security, she designed a volunteer initiative that became the benchmark for other federal agencies. 

After moving to the Jersey Shore from New York and calling Sea Bright her home for 27 years, she became more aware of the water pollution issues not only in New Jersey, but globally. With deep admiration for the wonderful work being done at Waterspirit, she is enthusiastically looking forward to bringing her networks, resources, and more to strengthen Waterspirit financially for the future.

Sarah presently is an advisor to the Mater Dei Prep Global Institute and member of UN NGO Pathways to Peace and lives in Red Bank, NJ.

February 25th: A Most Newsworthy Day

February 25, 2021 was an amazing day for water and for Waterspirit! We have three great pieces of news to share:

First, a full, permanent ban on fracking in the Delaware River Basin was put in place yesterday. This is historic, and it is a cause for celebration!  Please join in celebrating water with your family today at 4PM with Clean Ocean Action’s 37th birthday followed by Delaware Riverkeeper’s Watershed (Fracking Ban) Happy Hour at 6PM! 

All the water that exists on Mother Earth has always been here and will always be in one form or another. Water is both the precursor for life and necessary for sustenance and survival. In this way, those of us living today are all connected to our ancestors in our relationship with water. Water is-- as the first peoples share-- the first medicine. Water is life.

Resulting from the tireless efforts of people who care for this part of creation, Mother Earth prevailed. This consistent demonstration of courage and storytelling on the part of Water Protectors for the past 10 years was impassioned and personal.  Today, the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) demonstrated courage, too. Thank you to Governor Phil Murphy, Governor Andrew Cuomo, Governor John Carney and Governor Tom Wolf and the Army Corps of Engineers representative for President Biden!

I am proud to have been part of the group that descended on Delaware to educate citizenry and bird dog then New Jersey Governor Christie, alumnus of University of Delaware, conveniently speaking there before the vote nobody knew about a week prior. 10 years later I am finally capable of delivering to my children the absolute goal of a full fracking ban which came from a focused and unrelenting coalition.   

Second, crucial water protections were introduced at the federal level yesterday. The 2021 People’s Water Project Coalition backed Water Affordability, Transparency, Equity and Reliability (WATER) Act was introduced in both the House and the Senate. This legislation would:

·  Provide $35 billion a year to drinking water and wastewater improvements; 

·  Create up to nearly 1 million jobs across the economy and protect American workers;

·  Prioritize disadvantaged communities with grants and additional support;

·  Expand technical assistance to small, rural and indigenous communities;

·  Dedicate and increase grants for indigenous communities;  

·  Fund projects to address water contamination from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS);

·  Help homeowners replace lead service lines;

·  Provide more than $1 billion a year to update water infrastructure in public schools;

·  Upgrade household wells and septic systems; and

·  Promote safe, affordable, publicly controlled water for all.

Waterspirit is proud to be a founding member of the People’s Water Project, and we are eager to continue our effort to ensure clean, safe water for all through measures like the WATER Act.

Finally, the United Nations featured WATERSPIRIT’s eco-anxiety support groups among their Climate Action Stories. These groups promote climate resilience and education while strengthening our capacity for effective advocacy. Processing feelings and making meaningful action together in group is formative toward personal resilience. Knowledge is power. WATERSPIRIT’s next offering of a 10-Step Eco-Anxiety support group begins with a virtual informational session March 2, 2021. Register here to learn more.

Water can be our greatest connector if we allow ourselves the ability to enact preventative policies. Onwards!

By: Rachel Dawn Davis, Public Policy and Justice Organizer

Now Hiring: Development Coordinator

Waterspirit is looking for a part-time development coordinator to join our team. Our small staff, flexible hours, and faith-driven mission make working at Waterspirit a special experience. Read more about the position and how to apply here.

Pass Through the Waters Together: Waterspirit's Annual Appeal

Tuesday, December 1, 2020 is Giving Tuesday, a day of charitable giving that helps us wrap up 2020 by making an impact and building the world we want to see. Today also marks the launch of Waterspirit’s Annual Appeal, Pass Through the Waters Together, inspired by this passage from Isaiah 43:2 :

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

And through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;

When you walk through the fire you shall not be burned,

And the flame shall not consume you.

Read Executive Director Blair Nelsen’s full letter to the Waterspirit community here.

CLICK HERE to donate

Throughout the month of December, we will feature members of the Waterspirit community. See who’s passing through these waters with us in our weekly newsletter and on social media. Today’s featured community members are Rusty and Martha Eidmann-Hicks. They write,

“We love that the Waterspirit community is rooted in nature’s beauty and gentle rhythms, while also staying attuned to pressing ecological and hot-button issues.   To us, Waterspirit is a refreshing mix of environmental activism and sincere spirituality – grounded in ancient Christian tradition while also being open to emerging nature-centered religious expression.  Our team: Blair, Abbey, and Rachel are superb teachers and role models for a vision of a kind and caring new society, in harmony with the oceans, prairies, and forests, and striving for equality and justice for all.  Waterspirit expresses what we would hope a new consciousness and spirituality might resemble, as we combat global climate change and other threats to our planet’s inhabitants.   Plus, Waterspirit’s gatherings are just plain enjoyable and interesting….”

CLICK HERE to donate