LOUISVILLE, Ky. — An anonymous $500,000 donation given to a Kentucky nonprofit in honor of Tommy Elliott, who died during last year's Old National Bank mass shooting, will help further its mission of providing clean water for millions across the world.

What You Need To Know

  • An anonymous $500,000 donation was given to WaterStep in honor of Tommy Elliott, who died in last year's Old National Bank mass shooting in Louisville 

  • The Louisville nonprofit works to provide safe water and sustainable solutions to developing countries 

  • It hosted Gov. Andy Beshear, D-Ky., and Maryanne Elliott, Tommy's wife, to celebrate the donation Jan. 10 

  • According to the nonprofit, it has impacted more than 12 million people worldwide 

Louisville-based WaterStep, which offers sustainable solutions to developing countries, hosted Gov. Andy Beshear, D-Ky., and Maryanne Elliott, Tommy's wife, Jan. 10 to celebrate the donation and share how it will continue providing safe water solutions.

The nonprofit has launched pilot projects for simple water treatment in Senegal, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Kenya, focusing on high-need institutions such as health centers, hospitals and prisons. According to WaterStep, many of the projects are concluding with three to four months of data. It added it hopes to attract another $5 million to help expand these projects, combined with the donation made in honor of Maryanne and Tommy Elliott.

"As governor, I have always said that access to clean drinking water is a basic human right. Every family should be able to turn on their faucets and know that their water is safe to give their children," Beshear said. "I'm grateful that WaterStep is helping us see this mission through - not just in Kentucky, but all around the world. 

"Today's announcement is especially close to my heart, with an anonymous donation made in honor of my late friend Tommy Elliott. I'm so proud to know that his legacy of helping others lives on, and I look forward to seeing the positive impact this donation will have on families around the world."

WaterStep has had 5,294 projects in more than 70 countries that have impacted more than 12 million people, according to the nonprofit. It focuses on areas where infrastructure is fragile, such as slums, rural villages and communities responding to natural disasters. 

“Safe water and sanitation are health care,” WaterStep Founder and CEO Mark Hogg said. “And this gift has positioned WaterStep to become the solution to provide safe water in the world. With many of our pilot programs concluding and showing profound positive impacts in Africa, we’re ecstatic about the opportunities for the future of safe water for people all over the world. Our goal is to provide 100 million people with safe water and, in turn, improve global health outcomes. It is beyond what any of us have ever dreamed, and now it is coming true. We remain relentless in this vision.”

“I’m truly moved by this anonymous donation to WaterStep that was given in Tommy’s memory – this gracious and selfless act aligns with what he would have done for his community,” Maryanne Elliott said. “Tommy would have been so proud to see Kentucky leading the way for a cause as vitally important as safe water. I know his legacy will live on as long as people work to do good in this world — starting at home and in their own communities.”

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