**TACOMA, Wash. (March 8, 2021) –** In support of International Women’s Day, the global members of the Olympique Lyonnais family, which includes Olympique Lyonnais, OL Reign, and LDLC ASVEL, have come together in a collective initiative called “Let’s Act Together”. Let’s Act Together is designed to raise awareness and funds for three organizations focused on forging a gender equal world: Water1st International, supported by OL Reign, Le Mas, supported by the men’s and women’s professional teams of OL, and Filactions, supported by LDCL Asvel and LDLC Asvel Feminine. Founded in 1961 in Lyon, Le Mas supports female victims of violence and assists women in situations of vulnerability, suffering, and exclusion. Le Mas also performs research and works to raise awareness in an effort to combat these systematic challenges facing women and girls. Filactions was founded in December 2004 with a mission to fight gender-based violence across France. The organization is focused education, advocacy, and driving awareness to help break the cycle of violence that impacts women and girls. Based in Seattle, Water1st International invests in water and sanitation projects in Central America, Asia and Africa. By facilitating access to clean water, Water1st creates opportunities for women to earn an income, for girls to attend school, and for families to prosper. Beginning with today’s announcement and ending on Sunday, March 14, individuals making a donation of ten dollars or more to Water1st International, or ten euros or more to Le Mas or Filactions, will receive a Let’s Act Together t-shirt. In addition, the Olympique Lyonnais family has directly made donations to each of the three organizations. Individuals wishing to make donations to any or all of the organizations may do so by following the links below: Water 1st: https://bit.ly/3t2vI1F Filactions: https://bit.ly/2OsRxbI Le Mas: https://bit.ly/3ep7fPI In conjunction with the Let’s Act Together initiative, OL Reign also announced an extension of its longstanding partnership with Water1st International. In many regions of the world, access to water remains a challenge that is typically addressed by women and girls, who are often required to walk miles every day to collect water for their families. This obligation robs women and girls of opportunities for education and employment, perpetuating a cycle of inequity. Water1st International combats these challenges by engineering and implementing clean water systems in close collaboration with members of the communities these projects serve. OL Reign will show its continued support for Water1st International by having its players and staff participate in the *Carry5 Walk for Water* on May 2, 2021. The *Carry5 Walk for Water* is a five kilometer walk designed to raise awareness of the challenges that disproportionally impact women and girls resulting from water insecurity, and to collect donations that will fund future clean water projects. “We are so excited that OL Reign will be partnering with Water1st,” said OL Reign original Lu Barnes. “Water1st’s partnerships with local organizations to build lasting, high-quality water systems while empowering communities to independently own and operate them is a vital step in ending the walk for water. “Household water, along with hygiene education and project monitoring, are a recipe for a brighter future. I believe in the power of teamwork and the importance of coming together to create real, lasting change in the world!” “As an organization devoted to elevating the platform of female professional athletes, OL Reign understands on a deep and personal level that the global water crisis is a gender-equality issue,” stated Marla Smith-Nilson, Executive Director of Water1st International. “I am grateful to the entire OL Reign organization for supporting our efforts to end the walk for water for women and girls worldwide.” Further expanding its support for Water1st International, OL Reign announced a partnership with Everybody Water, who will become the official supplier of water to the OL Reign first team. Everybody Water provides premium water in a carton that is beautiful inside and out – an essential, everyday product conceived with sustainability at its core. As a purpose-driven brand, Everybody Water has committed to donating portions of its revenue to help fund clean water infrastructure projects that deliver water directly into homes in some of the poorest regions of our planet. As a close partner of Water1st International, Everybody Water has played an impactful role in furthering the mission of Water1st to build a more equitable world. “We are so excited about this especially meaningful partnership with OL Reign, an organization run by wonderful people that share a deep commitment to supporting high-quality clean water infrastructure projects by Water1st International,” said Kimberly Reilly, co-founder of Everybody Water. “We can’t think of a more inspiring group than this amazing team to help us promote the importance that running water and sanitation piped directly into homes has to the fundamental success of women and girls globally.” “Our club has invested effort to understand the environmental impact we have on our community and world. As we began to tackle an initiative to reduce waste produced by the club, we started to see that the choices we made to be more sustainable were not simply better for the environment, but for people as well,” said OL Reign midfielder Dani Weatherholt. “We are beyond excited to partner with Everybody Water not only because is it a more sustainable water source, but because it is a purpose-driven organization that seeks to provide women all over the world with greater opportunities. “Made by women for women, Everybody Water recognizes the importance of enabling people to reach their potential and how we all have an opportunity to make a difference every day with small choices. We are inspired to partner with a company that aligns with our values and has purpose at the center of everything they do.”

Match Highlights

Match Highlights