Living Waters

Specific Need

Living Waters needs your donations! We are a brand new, designated fund of Marysville Community Foundation, created to receive donations from those who can, to help pay part or all of the increased water bills for those who can't.  Your donation is automatically "designated" for that specific purpose, with no administrative or other fees or causes. We are volunteer-run, and payments are made directly to the City of Marysville on behalf of eligible applicants.

Most people DO pay their utility bills...even when it hurts. And that's the problem: Sudden increases, for even the best of reasons, force some people to cut back on food, medicine, or other essentials to pay their bills. Senior citizens, single moms, and low-income earners are especially hard hit. 

Mission

Living Waters is a Household Water Assistance fund created to receive donations from those who can, and channel help to those who can't pay their increased water bills. As a designated fund within Marysville Community Foundation, Living Waters distributes applications for assistance, reviews them for eligibility, and when funds are available, pays all or part of eligible applicants' water bills. Anyone may apply. Priority is given to short-term emergency needs, followed by household income-related criteria. Because those who receive help may only apply every 6 months, Living Waters offers volunteer usage reviews and related services to help applicants reduce their water related expenses.  

Profile

The Marysville Advocate published a story about Living Waters on April 15, 2026, our official launch day. Our current publicity volunteer (me) is still learning how to upload things like that here :-) ...so meanwhile, the text follows!

"There’s a new black squirrel in town: Bernie, mascot of the new nonprofit Living Waters fund, debuts his “squirrel squat on the pot” tour of Marysville this week. Starting at Sunflower Credit Union, area businesses will take turns hosting the furry fundraiser, who sits (politely) on a low-flow toilet display. Living Waters will give the new $300-value toilet away in a raffle drawing July 4 on Broadway.

Living Waters is a Household Water Assistance fund created to receive donations from those who can, and channel help to those who can’t pay their increased water bill, said Rita Elkins of Marysville. “I was concerned about the water bill increases,” she said. “We could manage, with careful planning. But what about elders living alone, or single moms, or families who are already struggling?”

Elkins voiced her concerns during an after-church coffee at St. Paul’s Episcopal (aka the log cabin church), and members promptly voted to support a viable solution. A call to Wayne Kruse at OneMarysville then generated a local brainstorming session where reps from the City of Marysville, Marysville Community Foundation, social services, and business leaders birthed the vision of Living Waters as a designated MCF “Pony Up” fund.

Bernie the “squatty squirrel” mascot was another brainstorm by Living Waters’ founding board members: Elkins, Liz Doll of Bremen, and Sue Etelamaki of Marysville. Using balloons, paper mache, and black velvet fabric scraps, Etelamaki designed and built Bernie in her studio at South Hill Pottery. “The big challenge was getting the infrastructure to look like a real squirrel,” she said. “Also, finding the right ‘skin’.”

With help from her husband Greg Doll, pastor of St. Paul’s, Liz Doll christened the furry fellow’ Bernie, bought the water-saver toilet and built a wheeled cart for the display. She will escort Bernie’s display around town, raising funds to help pay the water bills of eligible applicants. She and Bernie also provide special presentations to groups, featuring water-saving tips to help everyone. “Nobody can meet everybody’s needs alone. But helping a neighbor doesn’t have to be a big deal,” she said. “You get people together and we can do a lot.”

Living Waters will be a new entry in this year’s PonyUp! starting at 12:01am May 1. Meanwhile all funds raised through Bernie’s water-saver toilet raffle will go directly to Living Waters c/o Marysville Community Foundation. On May 4, 2026, the Fund will distribute applications for household water assistance to area service centers and City Hall. More info is available at www.ponyupmarysville.com/nonprofits/Living-Waters."

$2,276.14 received
in 14 gifts