We take so many things for granted in this country. In most places, we can turn on a faucet and fresh water comes out; we don’t think twice about it. Yet, an issue that many face, both here and abroad, is the lack of clean water. According to the World Health Organization  (https://bit.ly/4eG2hKb) and UNICEF’s 2023 reports, “approximately 2.2 billion people globally lack access to safely managed drinking water, meaning they either rely on distant, unsafe or intermittent sources of water.”

Wow.

In an effort to change this water access gap, Living Waters for the World (LWW), a faith-based organization, was created to “train volunteers to establish and lead water mission teams that partner with communities to implement and operate sustainable water purification systems and health education programs.” 

Each year, the LWW throws an event in Nashville that brings together our full industry channel for a night of raising awareness, raising funds, and raising the roof with fun. The event is called the Clean Water Bash, and one of the event’s cornerstone volunteers is Dennis DeBlock, sales executive with the Ariston Group, who, along with many industry companies and individuals, puts on a legendary bash. We wanted to hear more about the event and its mission, so we connected with DeBlock to hear more.

The Wholesaler: The Clean Water Bash sounds like an awesome event! Please give us the inside scoop on what it’s all about. 

Dennis DeBlock: The Clean Water Bash is a fundraiser started seven years ago to help fund operating costs for Living Waters for the World,  a nonprofit organization that forms global, clean-water mission partnerships. These mission partnerships empower international communities to install and sustain water purification systems and health education programs that transform lives. 

The Clean Water Bash features the Nashville Yacht Club Band, which has a multi-generational appeal. Anyone attending will want to dance the night away, taking an occasional break to bid on amazing items in a silent auction. The event takes place at The Standard at the Smith House, an antebellum mansion, in downtown Nashville, Tenn. The atmosphere is always lively and fun and supported by people who believe clean water is important, including many in the plumbing industry. 

TW: How did the event get started, and who are the key sponsors that help make it happen?

DeBlock: While on a vision trip to Guatemala, where we were showing volunteers and donors how LWW works, it was brought up how the organization needed an annual fundraising event to support everyday operations. Being fresh off my epic 40th birthday party, someone quipped that we should recreate the party and charge people to attend. So that’s essentially what we did. 

This year we are fortunate to have the Ariston Group, makers of HTP and American Standard Water Heaters, as the title sponsor. This is its second year in that slot. Additionally, we have been very fortunate to have long-standing sponsorships with Oatey (Bill Oatey has been very active on our board), American Valve (Owner Seth Guterman chairs our board), Ward Mfg., Watts and Hirsch Pipe. We are also very happy to welcome Cregger Co. as a sponsor this year.

TW: What’s your personal connection to the cause? Was there a moment that made you think, ‘This is something I need to be part of’?

DeBlock: Steve Young, executive director of LWW, waltzed into my church one day in 2011 to teach us about LWW during a segment called “Mission Reflection.” He explained that the magical thing about this organization is that it is not looking for a check to solve the problem. It would rather partner with churches and civic organizations, train them and send them into the field to help solve the crisis of clean water one village at a time. 

It was a real chance to get involved, one I felt was uniquely geared to me. It involved plumbing (how I make my living), travel (a way to put my SkyMiles to work) and children whom I love. I was especially moved by the surprisingly high mortality rate of 3 million annually for kids without access to clean water, a stat that I simply found to be unacceptable.

TW: Tell us about the event in 2024– how many guests attended, your fundraising goal, and the fun festivities?  

DeBlock:  The event was held on November 2, 2024, in Nashville at The Standard, a private venue in Music City. We hosted around 200 guests dressed in their finest red, white and blue to embrace an election theme. We handed out election-style skimmer hats at the door, taking fun photos with election-themed props, and bidding on exciting items provided by sponsors and local businesses. We rocked all night to Nashville Yacht Club Band  on our way to earning more than $51,000 to support the charity’s operations. 

TW: Could you give us an overview of where the funds raised during the Clean Water Bash will go, and how they directly impact clean water access and initiatives? 

DeBlock: The Clean Water Bash supports LWW, where I am a member of the board of directors. You know, when we grab a glass of water from the tap, we don’t give it a second thought. We certainly don’t think we could wind up in the hospital or worse. Unfortunately, that’s not the case for much of the world, and kids are hit the hardest. That really gets me. In fact, millions of people globally don’t have access to clean water. 

So that’s where organizations like LWW come in. This amazing nonprofit trains volunteers to work with communities where the water is contaminated and helps them install small-scale community water treatment systems that can provide sustainable, clean water for pennies a gallon. Seth Guterman and I have both been trained, and I have to say it’s changed my life.

TW: Can you share any cool stories or examples of how the money raised from past events has made a real impact? 

DeBlock: There are so many. In a small village in the Mexican Yucatan, a guy named Diego  lost one of his children to an outbreak of cholera from contaminated water many years ago. Not long after, his church worked with a volunteer team from LWW to install a water purification system for their community. Now Diego’s children and grandchildren aren’t sick anymore, and Diego serves as the head of the water committee that oversees the water project. 

So, LWW doesn’t only help solve the problem with technology, but also by empowering leadership in the community to own it, which makes it all sustainable.

TW: Besides attending the event, how can others get involved in supporting the group’s mission to raise funds and awareness for clean water? 

DeBlock: First off, we so appreciate the support of so many water industry partners in helping make the Clean Water Bash possible. Further donations to LWW (www. livingwatersfortheworld.org) mean more communities having clean water, so we welcome both company and individual financial support. And, to see the impact up close, we encourage anyone and everyone to come get trained, become part of a team and work with a community to change lives.