For Immediate Release Dallas, Texas 2 February 2009
Volunteer Twitter event goes global with 24-hour charity fundraiser
Over 175 cities worldwide participate in Twestival
On Thursday, February 12, 2009, for 24 hours, cities around the world will be hosting "Twestivals", volunteer-run, fundraising meet-ups for people who know each other through the micro-blogging service twitter.com, to bring Twitter communities together in the spirit of fun and for a good cause: raising money to fund sustainable clean water solutions in developing nations.
There are currently over 175 cities officially signed up to participate, including London, Paris, New York, San Francisco, Dallas, Toronto, Vancouver, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Beijing, Sydney, Melbourne, and Lima. City representatives keen to participate, give their time to the cause – and have a great night – continue to come on board; so for the for the full and changing list of cities, or to get involved, visit http://www.twestival.com.
The global event, with the slogan ‘Tweet. Meet. Give.’ will be raising money to support charity:water, a not-for-profit bringing clean, safe drinking water to people in developing nations.
Currently, 1.1 billion people on the planet don't have access to safe, clean drinking water -- that's one in six of us. Unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation cause 80% of all sickness and disease, and kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war.
charity:water partners with local organizations in developing countries to drill wells that provide access to clean water. The local community is engaged in the well-building, encouraging participation and ownership once the project is complete. Since August 2006, charity:water has funded the construction of more than 1,247 wells that, when completed, will provide clean drinking water to 650,000 people.
The goal of the Dallas Twestival is to raise $4,000 USD, which is the price of one water well in central Africa.
On Feb. 12, Dallas will host a Twestival at Mockingbird Station from 6 to 9 p.m. Attendees will enjoy live music by local Dallas bands including Andrew Collins Graham, watch a free film at the Angelika, check out feeds from other global events, and take in a show at Hyena’s Comedy Club. PURE Dental, Dallas’s first eco-friendly dental office, will provide free Wi-Fi.
Tickets, which are $10 each, are available at the Angelika box office and online at http://dallas.twestival.com/.
The event has formed global sponsorships with selected partners, including Amiando and TipJoy, who will be donating funds and resources to the event.
Amanda Rose, one of the organisers of Twestival, said “We're already blown away by the global reception and how keen people are to invest their time and energy for free, to the Twestival and get behind charity: water. Social tweet ups like this are a great way to meet the faces behind those avatars while raising a lot of money for a fantastic cause. Twestival is organized 100% by volunteers and 100% of all event proceeds will go directly to support charity: water projects in developing countries, which will positively impact the lives of thousands.”
Lauren Vargas, the event organizer for the Twestival taking place in Dallas, added: “The Twestival is such a powerful event because it is organized in a limited period of time by a group of volunteers. Much of the event is planned online. Connections, networking and sponsorships are being made in the spiderweb of connections this diverse group of volunteers brings to the table. Most importantly, the Twestival supports a social cause by bringing awareness and raising funds collectively.”
charity: water commented “We’re thrilled that the Twitter community around the world is coming together to bring clean, safe drinking water to those in need by raising funds and awareness with an event on the scale of Twestival. This is an amazing opportunity to bring the cause and its message to a global community.”
#twestival
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Notes to Editors:
To find out more about Twestival and see the full list of cities participating, go to the official event website at http://twestival.com or follow @twestival on Twitter. For more information on charity: water, go to http://www.charitywater.org/
For Further Information:
Local PR Contact for Dallas:
Laura E. Hall
Tel: 214.668.92100
Email: lehall@gmail.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lauraehall
Global PR Contact for Twestival:
Jaz Cummins
Tel: +44 (0)7947 988 913
Twitter: http://twitter.com/jazcummins
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