What two things are essential in life and celebrated next month—the month of May? The answer: mothers and water, of course. Without these, we would not be here. And in May, not only will we celebrate Mother's Day (May 13—have you bought a card yet?); we will also celebrate Drinking Water Week, May 6–12. Drinking Water Week is a time when water professionals and the communities they serve can come together and recognize the vital role water plays in our daily lives. It is always the first full week of May and is celebrated across North America by hundreds of organizations. For decades, AWWA has helped organize Drinking Water Week. It's worth pausing—if only once a year—to reflect on how water professionals have changed our lives over the last century. Think about it. In the early 1900s, the average life span in the United States was in the mid-40s, and now it is the late 70s. While perhaps not the sole cause, safe drinking water is a significant contributor to this change in longevity. No longer are waterborne diseases like typhoid and cholera an everyday concern; in fact, what we worry about now is that the public takes the marvel of safe water delivery for granted. While this modern problem presents a legitimate concern, it certainly is an improvement over the historical health issues. This drawing by 13-year-old Jackson Lee was selected as the winner in AWWA's student art contest, held in honor of Drinking Water Week, which is May 6–12. While drinking water professionals know water, they can better protect the source if their communities understand the nexus of their quality of life and their water supply. That is why, during Drinking Water Week, AWWA encourages everyone to get to know their water—the source, systems, and quality—and protect it for future generations. So, how does AWWA help do this? First, we hope you will sign up to participate in Drinking Water Week. It is free, of course, and you can show your support alongside hundreds of other colleagues by signing up at www.awwa.org. Second, AWWA provides campaign materials in English and Spanish for your use. This includes items such as logos, web banners, advertisements, proclamation text, a radio public service announcement, and press releases (all found on AWWA.org). These all can be customized for your utility or company. This is also a great time to get out in your community and talk about water. One important place to do that is at local schools. AWWA campaign material includes children's activity sheets in English and Spanish. These activity sheets are a perfect and fun way to introduce the importance of water to young children. We also have children's books—including the new Water Wonderful—available in our bookstore. If you'd like to go a step further, some students might want to participate in the art contest, which invites students to draw or color pictures that show how water is essential to their daily lives. The creativity of this student art is fantastic, and at least one piece is always selected to be used in the following year's campaign material. This year, Jackson Lee, age 13, from Durham, N.C., was our winner, and his beautiful picture (included here) of water and the world is part of the advertising material. I hope you will make time to join AWWA members and others from the water community to celebrate Drinking Water Week, May 6–12. And then, the next day, May 13, raise a glass of tap water in honor of the other essential in our life—mothers.