Annual Water Walk carries on legacy of activist killed in 2014 cycling crash

London students will carry on the passion project of a young woman whose life was cut short nearly five years ago.

Alex Foto died tragically in August 2014 after a crash between her bike and a cement truck, but her memory lives on in the form of an annual water walk that raises awareness and funds for those in need.

“Alex, even as a young girl, was always the best friend to everyone and always an advocate for those who were in need of some kind,” Barb Liokossis, her second-grade teacher at St. Catherine of Siena, told 980 CFPL.

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The Catholic elementary school is hosting its fifth annual water walk on Friday at 1:30 p.m., which was born out of the 19-year-old’s dedication to providing underprivileged countries with access to fresh water.

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Foto, a World Vision ambassador, took many trips overseas to advocate for the cause, said Liokossis.

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“We’ve taken that on as a school community,” said Liokossis.

“The students bring in their donations, they dress in blue, and depending on the age level of the student they all carry some form of water. Because the women in these underprivileged countries are carrying huge amounts of water, along with all their children, in order to bring fresh water back to their families. So we kind of recreate that.”

Smaller kids carry one litre, kids in Grade 1 through Grade 3 carry two litres of water, said Liokossis. The older the kids are, the more water they carry, and some will gather into teams of six to carry a full jerrycan.

“And then we do a walk around our huge block where our school is situated… we walk for Alex, and we walk for World Vision.”

The walk is six-kilometres long, which is the average distance that someone travels in the developing world to collect fresh water.

More than 700 students at the school will participate in the event, as well as members of the community and Foto’s parents.