Monday’s annual Charity Water Charity Ball drew in a hot crowd and raked in some serious dollars. In all, the Charity Ball raised over 2.6 million to fund water projects and provide clean and safe drinking water to various people in need.
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The 6th annual Charity Ball was a tremendous success and thanks to the support and generosity of the guests, 100,000 more people now have access to clean and safe drinking water.
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Held at the 69th Regiment Armory, the fabulous venue drew a variety of New Yorkers as well as a slew of people from all over the nation.
Thanks to the many tireless volunteers, the Armory was transformed into a fantasy ball like setting with four lit bars, orchids, huge movie screen, photo displays and even a waterwalk.
Hosted by actress Jessica Biel, she kicked off the evening by taking center stage and discussing her own relationship with the organization and the honor of being able to host this years”s event.
Charity Water’s founder Scott Harrison then took over the stage and briefly explained the fundamentals of the organization and the urgent need for safe drinking water in the world.
Unclean drinking water is the number one cause of disease and eventually turns to the number one cause of death in nations who do not have access to safe and clean drinking water.
Close to a billion people in this world do not have access to safe drinking water. A billion people. This leads to disease, malnourishment, and illness, and eventually death. This sounds horrible, but there is a solution.
Charity Water’s donations are used to build water wells which provide clean and safe drinking water to these underprivileged nations.
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The highlight of the evening was the silent auction which lead to monumental money raising to fund well projects.
Hosts of the live auction, filmmaker Tyler Perry, and Charity Board member Brook Hazelton, drew in a slew of bidders to bid in water well projects in 3 different countries: Sierra Lionne, Cambodia, and Tanzania.
The $1.2 million dollar goal for this year’s auction was also a tribute to Rachel Beckwith. Rachel was a little girl who started a campaign for Charity Water, but due to unforeseen circumstances her life was cut short by a tragic accident.
In her memory, supporters from all over the globe gave donations and not only did it surpass her goal, but her campaign ended up raising $1.2 million. Rachel’s mother, Samantha, flew in all the way from Seattle to take part and help kick off the silent auction.
In the conclusion of the auction, not only was the 1.2 million goal met, but the head pastor of Eastlake Community Church in Seattle committed to match Tyler Perry’s personal donation of $500,000! Wow, now that’s some serious fundraising!
An additional $100,000 was raised through the Waterwalk, a platform which allowed guest to take off their shoes and carry two Jerry cans (at 40 lbs each) and walk roughly 200 feet. Each time a guest finished the Waterwalk, a sponsor who contribute another $100. I even slipped off my heels and decided to give it a go, and boy it was not easy! Definitely not a cakewalk. However, I made it all the way to the finish.
This was the biggest Charity Ball yet… and by the end of the evening, all the fundraising goals were met, and thousands of lives will have now the opportunity to drink safe and clean drinking water. Water is a necessity, not a privilege. Everyone on this planet should have access to safe and clean drinking water and with our help, they can. Please visit CharityWater.org for more information and how to get involved.
This blog was provided by Philanthropy Files.com
