MEDIA AVAILABILITY
Foster Elementary School Students to Receive More than 500 Reusable Water Bottles from the Rob Machado Foundation During School's "Roll Ride and Walk Day," "Bike Rodeo"
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
WHAT:
On Friday, Foster Elementary School students will receive more than 500 reusable water bottles donated by the Rob Machado Foundation - first during the school's "Roll Ride and Walk Day," and then ahead of the San Diego County Bike Coalition (SDCBC)'s "Bike Rodeo."
WHEN:
Friday, May 3, 2024
7:25 - 8:00 a.m. - Water Bottle Handouts During "Roll Ride and Walk Day"
2:15 - 3:15 p.m. - Water Bottle Handouts During SDCBC "Bike Rodeo*"
*Media are welcome to conduct interviews during setup before the rodeo. Setup will occur from 1:15 - 2:15 p.m.
WHERE:
Foster Elementary School
6550 51st St.
San Diego, CA 92120
*See the event location map with the media staging area below.
VISUALS:
7:25 - 8:00 a.m.- Students riding bikes or walking to school, water bottle handouts, staff providing students certificates for participation.
2:15 - 3:15 p.m.- Water bottle handouts, SDCBC licensed cycling instructors providing bike safety information at different stations, students riding bikes through cones.
GUEST INTERVIEWS:
Roll, Ride, and Walk Day/First Wave of Water Bottle Handouts
Cody Petterson, Board of Education Vice President, San Diego Unified
Leah Lessels, Principal, Foster Elementary School
Students
Bike Rodeo / Second Wave of Water Bottle Handouts
Leah Lessels, Principal, Foster Elementary School
Rob Machado Foundation Representatives
Kevin Baross, Education Programs Manager, San Diego County Bike Coalition
Students
BACKGROUND:
In support of San Diego Unified School District's clean water initiative to replace old water outlets with high quality, filtered hydration stations, the Rob Machado Foundation has donated another 10,000 reusable bottles went to San Diego Unified students at 20 schools. Last year, the Rob Machado Foundation donated 20,000 reusable bottles to students at 50 schools. Encouraging students to drink more water and cut plastic pollution from local landfills, waterways, and the ocean, the reusable water bottles and filtered hydrations have made access to water at San Diego Unified better than ever before.
As a result of a six-year-long district initiative to provide clean drinking water to all Students, the high-quality filtered hydration stations replace old, unfiltered, drinking water outlets at all San Diego Unified schools.
Supported by the facilities bond program, San Diego Unified set a public health goal of water with lead content below one part per billion (ppb) and an action level of 5 ppb - three times the federal standard - through the use of filtered systems.
While all San Diego Unified schools have received temporary filtered water bottle fillers, construction continues on the installation of additional permanent filtered hydration stations and the removal of all unfiltered drinking water outlets districtwide. The district is prioritizing schools with the youngest students first.
Construction is complete at 117 schools and currently ongoing at another 24 sites. The Rob Machado Foundation plans to donate more reusable water bottles to students, eventually reaching every San Diego Unified student.
PARKING:
Parking will be limited to street parking. See the event map below for locations of the morning and afternoon events.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Samer Naji, Facilities Communications Supervisor, San Diego Unified, 619-548-3388, snaji@sandi.net.
Jamie Ries, Information Services Specialist, San Diego Unified, 619-855-9283, jries@sandi.net.
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