THIRST PROJECT RAISES AWARENESS WITH GALA

By Jennifer Buonantony

Living in Hollywood, it's easy to take things for granted. But imagine not having access to something as simple as clean drinking water. This is a real issue that faces thousands of people every day. The Thirst Project held its third annual fundraising gala at the Beverly Hilton Hotel this week to raise awareness and funds to provide this basic need to impoverished people worldwide.

The Thirst Project is a non-profit organization dedicated to building fresh water wells in countries whose people suffer from lack of clean drinking water. Their yearly gala calls on celebrity supporters to come together for an evening to honor those that have made a difference in the fight against the global water crisis and to help raise funds for the coming year.  The organization was started by college age students merely four years ago and reaches out to colleges and high schools to educate students on the nearly 1 billion people who do not have access to clean drinking water and proper sanitation. In less than three years, its members have reached over 500,000 students who have in turn raised $1.3 million. This money has provided over 50,000 people with drinkable water to date. As a result of these efforts, disease, child mortality, and AIDS has dropped dramatically in these communities where clean water wells have been provided. 

The gala includes a red carpet, performances, auction, dinner, and awards ceremony. It was hosted by Pauley Perrette (NCIS) and Kirsten Vangsness (Criminal Minds) and honored stars Chyler Leigh (Grey's Anatomy) and Nathan West (Actor/Producer) for their efforts with the organization. We spoke with Thirst Project CEO Seth Maxwell as well as many of the organization's teen members and celebrity guests.

Check out our red carpet video and what the supporters had to say!

To learn more or get involved, visit Thirst Project.