Shooting for water: Fishers basketball teams compete in water drive
FISHERS, Ind. (WISH) – Fishers High School is using the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, as an opportunity to give back and teach community during its annual African-American Heritage event.
But to the basketball teams, it’s become a competition. Not to see who gets the most wins, but collects the most water.
“It brings our team together,” Fishers High School student Zach Eaton said. “It really lets our team know that there is more than just basketball sometimes.”
“It is a competition, and varsity wants to beat freshmen, and freshmen wants to beat JV, but we’re all competing for a better cause,” Fishers High School student Lance Dollison said.
So far, the players have collected 15,000 bottles. “It’s something that we take for granted, honestly,” Eaton said. “Practice, we use water every day. We go home and shower. We brush our teeth, all these little things.”
While the basketball teams are certainly off to a good start for the water drive, it’s not just a team effort.
The whole student body is involved with collecting water as part of the African-American Heritage night. Something started eight years ago, which the principal is proud to see it come this far.
“Flint is great example as a way they can connect to the history,” Fishers High School principal Jason Urban said. “It’s a way they can impact something bigger than themselves.”
The event is a way to learn about history, and the struggles African-Americans went through. With so many struggling north of the Hoosier State, this campus, and team, felt it was important to do more than talk.
“Just to be able to help them in any way, whether it’s just one case of water or anything is really great,” Eaton said. “Yeah, it’s $3 for a case of water, but, I mean, if you can give 10 cases, or something, it’s going to help more people than you would think,” Dollison said.
School officials hope the community joins them in this effort. Anyone can drop water off at the high school until Saturday afternoon.