Few, if any, rivalries in the world of sports are as intense as UNC vs. Duke.
Two Kids Making a Difference
We’re two kids who normally live in between of these two schools. We’re trying to make a difference in the world by giving away a bunch of these really cool water filters to poor Indian villagers. The filters cost about $25 each and should provide clean water to a poor family for 20-25 years. We’d like your help. Scratch that. We’ve been living in India for four months this year and we’ve seen these villagers. They’re really poor and they’re drinking water with ridiculous amounts of germs and even worms. Kids and old people are getting really sick. We’d LOVE your help and so would they. We’ve created a contest in 2013 and and we’re inviting supporters of both schools (that’s you!) to contribute to show your support for your teams. Winners get bragging rights and more. The water coolers will be painted blue before they’re delivered to villagers. Whether the filters will be Tar Heel blue or Duke Blue will depend upon which group of supporters donates more money to this worthy cause. Cool huh?
Contest Rules
The rules are simple:
- The most money anyone can give is $25. We’ve created this rule to prevent some rich alum from single-handedly determining the contest outcome.
- Your contributions must be made between the beginning of the basketball season, and the end of the second UNC – Duke basketball game.
When the horn sounds at the end of the second basketball game, we’ll tally the donations and announce the winning team of the contest. The REAL winners, of course, will be the poor Indian villagers. They’ll receive water filters that are built to last for 20-25 years, that are very straightforward to maintain. There’s a decent chance this contest will save a life or two. It’s definitely going to result in less sickness and disease.
More Details – Matching Grant in Place Already / Tax Deductions, etc.
- All contributions are tax deductible (for Americans anyway). We will send you receipts via email.
- All of the funds from the contest will go towards buying and installing bio-sand filters. We’re partnering with the South Asia Pure Water Initiative to get these water filters manufactured and installed. They’ve installed thousands of these filters in India.
- All of the money you contribute will go DIRECTLY to purchasing and installing water filters.
- All money you and others contribute to this fundraiser (up to $10,000) will be matched dollar-for-dollar.
“A House Divided” Comes Together
As the founders of Aztech Labs, an officially-recognized 501(c)(3), we’re right in the middle of the UNC-Duke rivalry. Both literally and figuratively. Our house is just about exactly half-way between the two basketball stadiums. We’re a house divided. Zach is a UNC fan. Aidan is a Duke fan. Zach’s hoping UNC fans will contribute. Aidan is hoping Duke fans will contribute. They’re both looking forward to getting more water filters into the hands of people who really need clean water badly.
Results of 2013
Summary:
| UNC | Duke | |
| Donations | 45 People | 32 People |
| Money Raised | $1350 | $1250 |
Blue Devils can be happy about winning both rivalry basketball games of the season while Tar Heels can be proud about winning the water filter donation contest. It was a close call with the $2600 in donations split $1350 UNC (54 donors) vs $1250 Duke (50 donors), but UNC triumphed. We received many donations from Chapel Hill., Durham, Charlotte and even out of state.
Because of your donations and the matching funds we lined up, we’re going to be able to fund filters for 200 families in two different villages. UNC donors wallowing in the pain of today’s loss can take solace that these filters will be painted Tar Heel blue! Another outcome of the contest is that Aidan will be wearing a Duke shirt at Qdoba on Franklin street a few days after we get back to the US, in early July and he’ll need to wear a UNC shirt to school for a week. Photos of him wearing a UNC shirt will be posted on aztechlabs.org.
Coincidentally, the day of the big game we visited the first village we have sponsored, Nelavagilu for a dedication ceremony for their water 100 filters. During part of the ceremony, we met with kids our own ages who attend the local village government school. We gave all of them soap and note books (so that they would know more about sanitation) and a piece of candy. One of the boys wanted to show us discolored patches of skin on his face which we learned was caused by worms that come from their unfiltered water supply. Many children suffer at home from these worms and the occasional pain in their stomachs from the worms sometimes prevents them from attending school. The children wanted to let us know they are happy to have these filters in their school and will encourage their parents to also use them at home. A few photos of the village are available at http://aztechlabs.org/2013/03/photos-from-our-2nd-visit-to-nelavagilu/
We have been overwhelmed with the attention from newspapers and from your generous donations. In addition to the 4 articles already written about our contest, Raleigh’s News & Observer will be writing an article this week about Aztech Labs and the outcome of this competition. So if you want to know more about what we’ve been doing after the contest, look for article a week from now.
In the end, everyone wins. The villagers get clean water, Duke won both regular season basketball games, and UNC won our donation competition. Our fundraising efforts continue.
Matt P. and his friends – $300 – Duke – These Duke students raised money from Duke Students for a week by setting up a table outside of the student center
Welcome, NC Church – Fellowship and Friendship classes raised over $250
Barbara “Buzzer Beater” B. – $25 – Duke – (Last Person to Donate)
Questions About the Contest? Email Us