Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco Mexico - On Monday, the Lions Club Elementary School in Colonia Lázaro Cárdenas became the first public education institution to benefit from the Seapal Vallarta 'School Water Fountain Program' for the 2014-2015 school year.

School Director, Abarca César Gutiérrez, accompanied by the director of the New Life Mexico foundation, Philippa Vernon-Powell, made delivery of the drinking fountains, which guarantee that about 900 children and their teachers will have clean, quality-certified water to drink.

Abarca Gutierrez said that the benefit to this institution is very important and urged students to join efforts to be good stewards of the water, "is a pleasure to inaugurate the drinking fountains at a campus with a long tradition in Puerto Vallarta, our commitment is to the health of our children, and this program sets a national example," he said.

He emphasized the support of New Life Mexico in this team effort, and acknowledged the foundation's commendable work for the children of Vallarta. "Bringing benefits to our children is essential. It contributes to their healthy development and future success. The 'water culture' is not only linked to the care of the environment but also to health, as the drinking of water has been proven to prevent diseases such as diabetes," he said.

The campus' morning shift principal, Yolanda Celis Rosales, said, "We are happy that the director of Seapal fulfilled his promise to bring these water fountains to our school, and we hope he continues doing so at other schools to benefit more students..."

She said this support means significant savings for the campus, as they were spending a lot of money on garrafones (5 gallon jugs) of bottled water for the students, a situation (and expense) that increased throughout Vallarta's long, hot, summer season. She stressed that the fountains will also be instrumental in teaching young students to consume less sugary drinks.

The school's evening shift principal, Teresa Martha Lopez de Dios, emphatically concurred on the money the school will save in providing the vital liquid to students. "We appreciate the benefit this gives to our school, to the student body, and the entire community... and we are pleased that our school has been provided with drinking water," she added.

The school's parent committee chairwoman, Rosa María Rodríguez Román, expressed her satisfaction with the installation of these drinking fountains. "We are happy; this is excellent because many children don't bring money or can't afford to buy their own water, and now it will be easier to keep them hydrated in this heat. We are grateful," she said.