As the Mexico morning sun burned through the clouds on Oct. 14, echoes rang across an open plaza at Escuela Primaria General Francisco I. Madero: the droning of a power drill, bounces of a dying soccer ball and laughter that knew no language barrier.
Here on the rural outskirts of Mexico City, between a small library and cramped classrooms, leader volunteers from Reciprocity Road distributorships spent the day interacting with elementary-aged students and working to help improve the kids’ lives in the most basic of ways, through the delivery of clean water.
Taking a break from the buying group’s annual Conclave strategic meeting, principles and executives built and dedicated a new water tower that will serve both the school and its surrounding community.
- The donation of labor and funding came in support of PromoCares and its Water4Good initiative.
- Water4Good rallies promotional products firms and philanthropists to support the building of filtration towers across the world in developing communities that support the industry.
Brandgood
The water tower donation – and Reciprocity Road’s commitment to serving communities – is part of its Brandgood collective commitment to corporate social responsibility, ethical sourcing, product sustainability and diversity, equity and inclusion.
“We work in an industry that is by its nature extractive,” says Denise Taschereau, CEO and co-founder of Reciprocity Road distributor Fairware, PPAI Board Chair and PromoCares board member. “A mass majority of the apparel we’re buying in our industry is cotton, like the t-shirts we’re wearing. Cotton production has huge implications on water and water tables, run-off, chemical treatments, all sorts of things.
“To have this opportunity to come down here and literally get our hands dirty and execute on building a tower is a gift.”
Denise Taschereau
CEO & Co-founder, Fairware; PPAI Board Chair
During the school day, Reciprocity Road’s leaders assembled the tower and mixed with the school children, playing learning games and testing one another’s language skills. The day’s lessons taught the kids about the importance of clean drinking water, hand washing and hygiene.
Prior to the tower’s construction, the school’s running water was not considered safe to drink.
“We have seen the challenges that this school has to face daily,” says Octavio Tripp, senior project manager for Planet Water Foundation, the primary charity supported by Water4Good. “There’s no public transportation, so the kids have to make more than an hour journey to come to school. Part of the effort today is for the kids to have a lot of water for their journey to come to school.”
Clean Fun
Reciprocity Road’s tower commitment helped PromoCares toward its $200,000 Water4Good fundraising goal for 2025, says Scott Pearson, co-founder of 6am Sourcing and PromoCares board member. However, the group is still striving for more donations, with some $30,000 needed to reach its goal before the end of the year.
“When you think about the manufacturing process, the draw of water that is needed in manufacturing is massive,” Pearson says. “With Planet Water Foundation, what they’re able to do is draw from any poor water access point that is just horrible, and they’ve got this incredible engineering filter within the tower. Water goes up to the top of the vat, goes through the tower and just comes out glistening and clean.
“We back clean water because it’s not political. You can’t debate whether a human being deserves clean water or not.”
Scott Pearson
Co-founder, 6am Sourcing; PromoCares Board Member
After the tower was completed, the school’s students lined up for the first demonstration. Children washed their hands under the running spigots and filled a Planet Water-branded cup with clean water and took their first sips.
A Notable Conclave
The community outreach day was the highlight of what Reciprocity Road’s members describe as one of their favorite Conclaves yet.
- It was also the final strategic meeting for outgoing executive director Perry Werle, an industry veteran of more than 40 years, as he prepares for retirement and handing the group’s management role to HALO-ex Bobbi Levingston.
Perry Wehrle
Outgoing Executive Director, Reciprocity Road
“What unites our group is, as businesses, every day we go good, and every day we look at ourselves and say ‘How can we make it better for our communities?’ Wehrle said. “It’s not all about take, take, take. It’s about putting back in, to make sure there’s something for our future so we have an industry that can contain itself and keep on growing.
“Our owners are all independent shops, they’re all independent companies, and they just are happy to give back. That makes them feel good, and it’s the right thing to do.”
Reciprocity Road includes 13 distributor members:
APISource
Brand Fuel
C&S Sales
Fairware
Flywheel
Grapevine Designs
Icebox
Image Source
MadeToOrder
Quality Resource Group
Robyn
Whitestone
Zagwear
- Each year, Reciprocity Road partner distributors commit to donating a percentage of their rebate savings to industry charities PPEF, PromoKitchen or PromoCares.
