Nourishing Families, Flourishing Communities
For nearly 100 years, our commitment to community engagement has been grounded in our purpose—Lives in Motion—an expression of how we work to move people forward toward their goals and dreams. We partner with local communities and on-the-ground organizations to address immediate needs like hunger and recreation while fostering long-term solutions. Now, as our company grows, Advancing Waterways and Watersheds joins our other signature community engagement programs focused on Nourishing Children and Families and Reimagining Outdoor Spaces, creating a comprehensive approach to addressing community needs.
Clean water and healthy ecosystems are essential to community well-being. Just as we tackle food insecurity with local food banks and transform neglected parks into vibrant community hubs, we can now improve the environment for our neighbors—one waterway at a time. Together, these programs address immediate needs while fostering long-term solutions that will help communities thrive well into the future.
Why Waterways Matter: Our Partnership with the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay
Announced at our eighth Annual Blackie Wills Golf Classic, our Advancing Waterways and Watersheds initiative builds on our ongoing commitment to outdoor spaces and aligns with our Splash In car washes’ water conservation goals. Given our proximity to the Chesapeake Bay and other key waterways, it’s fitting that we focus on the health of these vital ecosystems. To support this mission, we’ve partnered with the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay to improve water quality, revitalize ecosystems, and ensure long-term environmental health for the communities we serve.
As we expand our focus on water quality and conservation, we recognize that healthy waterways are foundational to thriving communities. The Chesapeake Bay watershed, which spans six states and supports over 18 million people, faces threats from pollution, deforestation, and agricultural runoff. Without intervention, these challenges will continue to harm water quality, ecosystems, and public health.
That’s why we’ve partnered with the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, a nonprofit with over 50 years of experience in watershed restoration. The Alliance addresses these challenges by engaging communities in hands-on restoration projects. They’ve done impressive work in areas like tree planting, stormwater management, and training local citizens to monitor water quality. It’s incredible to think about the impact of their efforts, and we’re proud to support their flagship initiative, Project Clean Stream, with a $50,000 grant. This project is the largest trash cleanup effort in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and mobilizes thousands of volunteers each year to clean rivers, streams, and shorelines.
Through our partnership, we’re kicking off our first volunteer stream cleanup in Columbia, Maryland in November, near one of our Splash In car wash locations. This effort not only aligns with Splash In’s commitment to water conservation but also allows us to make a tangible impact on the local environment. By working with experts like the Alliance, we’re demonstrating how businesses can drive meaningful environmental change through corporate responsibility and community action.
Sustainability at Splash In
Splash In is a leader in eco-friendly car wash practices. Our advanced water reclamation and chemical filtration systems allow us to recycle and reuse water, reducing waste by up to 50% compared to at-home car washes. We also use biodegradable detergents and energy-efficient technologies like the Belanger Freestyler to minimize chemical runoff and excess water usage.
These sustainable practices are central to Splash In’s mission, and our Advancing Waterways and Watersheds initiative helps us take that commitment to the next level. By prioritizing water conservation and investing in healthy waterways, we’re demonstrating that operational efficiency and environmental stewardship can go hand in hand.
Keeping Lives in Motion
Healthy waterways support everything from the food we eat to the spaces where we connect and play. By adding waterway conservation to our community engagement program, we’re connecting environmental health with community well-being and driving solutions that benefit both nature and people.
Through partnerships with local organizations, we’ve seen firsthand how coordinated efforts in hunger relief, public space revitalization, and environmental protection can uplift entire communities. By aligning our business operations with these impactful programs, the Wills Group and our businesses—Dash In and Splash In—are paving the way for a brighter, healthier future for all, keeping Lives in Motion.
