STLSportsPage.com likes to promote charity and the Greater St. Louis community so when we get the chance to shine the light on people or organizations doing good we do. Former Rams star Chris Long has an interesting story involving a local family from Eureka, Mo. On the East side, an event involving dinosaurs is taking place at the Collinsville Convention Center. Both events are chronicled below.
Chris Long
Former St. Louis Rams star Chris Long and partners Xylem and Water Well Trust provided a local family of four in Eureka, Missouri, access to clean water with a donated water well system, equipment, well drilling and pump installation. The Illert family – Justin Illert, veteran, age 30 yrs old, Sarah age 27, Lilah, age 5, and Austin, age 1 – was previously living without clean, running water in their home and relied on bottled water and rainwater for cooking and cleaning. The family now has reliable access to clean, potable water for the first time.
“It feels like we won the lottery,” said Sarah Illert, Water Well Trust beneficiary. “It means the world. It really is life changing for us. We are so grateful to have clean water to cook with, do our laundry, clean the dishes, and take clean showers and baths.”
The donation marked the fourth project between Xylem Inc., Water Well Trust and Hometown H2O, which is a domestic water program dedicated to bringing clean, sustainable water to people and communities in need across the United States. Hometown H2O – a program launched in early 2020 – is a united effort between retired NFL player Chris Long and his Foundation’s Waterboys initiative and water technology company Xylem Inc. to address domestic water scarcity issues, which currently leave more than 2 million Americans without access to clean water. Hometown H2O and Xylem work alongside the Water Well Trust, a national nonprofit that helps qualify low-income families. This project was also supported by beverage company Talking Rain, who donated water to project staff and made a financial contribution to the family.
“Nobody should have to live without access to clean water– especially the brave and honorable men and women that have served our nation,” said Chris Long, two-time Super Bowl champion and founder of the Chris Long Foundation. “Clean water access for many Americans is an increasingly serious problem. Since Hometown H2O launched in 2020, we have raised awareness for water equality that affects policy at the state and federal levels. We will continue to prioritize this mission in our future projects. The organizations we work with, including Xylem and Water Well Trust, bring industry expertise to the table, and passionately do what it takes to make these projects successful. Thank you to our supporting partners for helping us to change lives and ensure that clean, running water is a basic human need that no American lacks.”
Xylem donated Goulds Water Technology brand equipment while local distributor partner Water Works of Springfield, Missouri, coordinated the discounted installation through pump installer Schroepfer Well Drilling, Inc. of Franklin County, Missouri. A team of volunteers – from Water Works and Xylem employees – also donated time to clean up the property’s yard.
“The unacceptable reality is that many Americans do not have access to potable, running water,” said Susan O’Grady, Director of Marketing, Building Services and Agriculture, Xylem. “For Xylem and its partners, we are honored to be able to use our expertise and passion for the cause to bring this vital service to people who deserve to have clean water.”
Xylem and Waterboys, along with nonprofit partner Water Well Trust, seek to raise awareness about domestic water issues, including that more 2 million people in the U.S. lack access to clean, safe drinking water at home. Working in coordination with Watermark and the company’s Goulds Water Technology brand, this partnership delivers ongoing water well projects to provide rural communities with reliable, safe water access, which can lead to better overall health and improved quality of life.
For more information about the Hometown H2O project, visit waterboys.org/hometown ble.
About Xylem
Xylem (XYL) is a leading global water technology company committed to solving critical water and infrastructure challenges with technological innovation. Our more than 16,000 diverse employees delivered revenue of $5.25 billion in 2019. We are creating a more sustainable world by enabling our customers to optimize water and resource management, and helping communities in more than 150 countries become water-secure. Join us at www.xylem.com.
About Xylem Watermark
Xylem Watermark is Xylem’s corporate citizenship and social investment program. Xylem Watermark’s mission is to provide and protect safe water resources for communities and to educate people about water issues. By working with best-in-class non-profit partners and leveraging the expertise, time and passion of Xylem’s employees and stakeholders, Xylem Watermark is able to address the full spectrum of global water challenges. For over 10 years, Xylem Watermark has been generating social impact by delivering clean water to communities in need, responding to water-related disasters with humanitarian assistance, and empowering communities through education about water, sanitation and hygiene and the value of water.
About Waterboys
Founded in 2015 by two-time Super Bowl Champion Chris Long, Waterboys unites professional NFL and NBA athletes and fans from across the world in support of a single, shared cause: providing clean, accessible drinking water to 1 million people. By working together, players and fans can make a meaningful difference for communities in desperate need by funding sustainable clean water projects. These projects provide life-giving water and all that comes from it – including the opportunities for education, good health, and economic stability. Initially starting with projects in East Africa, Waterboys expanded its work in 2019 to also include U.S water projects. To date, Waterboys has raised over $5 million with the help of over 48 professional athletes, providing clean drinking water to more than 395,000 people as a result. To find out more, visit waterboys.org.
About The Chris Long Foundation
The mission of The Chris Long Foundation is to support bright futures for communities and the individuals that make up those communities. We believe borders do not limit caring about our fellow neighbors. We engage in both international and domestic programs focused around clean water, military appreciation, and educational equity. Our programs strive to generate impactful results by creating opportunities and providing resources, financial support and meaningful experiences to those we serve. Visit www.chrislongfoundation.org to find out more about the foundation’s work.
About Water Well Trust
The Water Well Trust (WWT) is a 501(c)3 organization created by the Water Systems Council to provide a clean water supply to American families living without access to a precious resource most of us take for granted.
We serve Americans living primarily in rural, unincorporated areas or minority communities that may be isolated and difficult to reach. We assist low‐income families that cannot afford to pay for public water supplies, and those who live in areas where the extension of public water supplies to serve them doesn’t make economic sense…for them, for the public water supply owners, for federal, state or local funding sources.
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DINO STROLL COMING TO ST. LOUIS– WITH INITIATIVE TO BENEFIT ST. LOUIS AREA FOOD BANK
July 17 – 18 at the Gateway Convention Center
WHAT: Dino Stroll, produced by Canterbury Village Events, is coming to St. Louis on July 17 – 18, with an initiative to benefit the St. Louis Area Food Bank. This realistic tour lets you walk-thru and get up close to life-like and life-size dinosaurs standing over 25 feet tall and spanning over 60 feet long! During Dino Stroll, the Gateway Convention Center will be transformed into the Mesozoic Era with prehistoric dinosaurs from the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods, throughout!
Dino Stroll has a national charitable giving initiative to support those struggling within the communities of each city they visit. In St. Louis, Dino Stroll has partnered with the St. Louis Area Food Bank and will be hosting a food drive encouraging attendees to bring canned or non-perishable food items to the event. There will be collection bins located at the front entrance for Dino Stroll. By collaborating, all collected food items will then be donated to help children and families in the St. Louis area facing hunger and food insecurities. The St. Louis Area Foodbank has been serving the bi-state area for over 45 years with a vision to create a stronger, healthier bi-state region where no one goes to bed hungry. Through partnership with over 600+ food agencies across 26 counties in eastern Missouri and southern Illinois, the Foodbank is actively engaged in providing more than 44 million meals annually for individuals facing food insecurity. To find out more information visit www.stlfoodbank.org
Dino Stroll will be the most realistic tour back into history with animatronic dinosaurs that are created with moving heads, necks, tails, wings, eyes blinking, mouths that open and close, breathing movements, synchronized sounds and many more exquisite details that bring them to life.
Dino Stroll is an interactive event allowing guests to walk through this memorable indoor experience. While guests stroll, they can get up close to 75 dinosaurs within exhibits throughout, ranging from babies to some life-like and life-size dinosaurs, and even encounter a T-Rex, Velociraptors and Stegosaurus, just to name a few.
Dino Stroll is an interactive event allowing guests to walk through this memorable experience. It will also be an educational experience, by learning the history behind some of the dinosaurs that are on display. This must-see event will provide an opportunity to see and feel what it was like when the world’s largest creatures roamed the earth!
WHEN: Dino Stroll will take place July 17 – 18, 2021
Timed tickets available every half hour, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on Saturday and 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. on Sunday.
WHERE: Gateway Convention Center
1 Gateway Dr.; Collinsville, IL 62234
COSTS: Tickets $21.99 each.
Additional service fees will apply.
Children under 2, Military and Veterans are free. No ticket required. Military and Veterans show your Military ID or papers at the entrance for free admission.
Tickets available online and for advance purchase only.
For more information and to purchase Dino Stroll tickets, please visit
