Kirstie Alley and philanthropic organizer Steve Woods will host Aquathon 2009 tomorrow, the first 24-hour telethon on micro-blogging site Twitter and Live Video Streaming Site Ustream. The event will raise money for clean water in Africa by purchasing water pumps from PlayPumps International, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing access to clean drinking water to millions in Africa.
“Can you imagine your child drinking filthy contaminated water? Neither Can I. . .Let’s make sure NO child ANYWHERE ever has to. Thank you, Kirstie.”
Event URLS:
Aquathon Twitter Channel: http://twitter.com/aquathon
Aquathon Direct Donation: http://www.knowh2o.org/aquathon
Aquathon Blog: http://aquathon2009.blogspot.com
Aquathon Ustream Channel: http://www.ustream.tv/Aquathon
Kirstie Alley Twitter Channel: http://twitter.com/kirstiealley
Kirstie Alley Ustream Channel: http://www.ustream.com/kirstiealley
Aquathon 2009 is the first Twitter & Ustream 24hr fundraising telethon effort of its kind. Twitter users will be able to donate funds as little as one dollar or as large as one million dollars on Saturday, July 25, beginning at 6am EDT. Alley and Woods have been encouraging Twitter followers to donate via their tweets at @kirstiealley, @_stevewoods, and @aquathon. Twitter users can also add a Twibbon to their profile in support of the campaign. A “Twibbon” is a visual show of event solidarity via an Aquathon 2009 icon that appears over a Twitter profile picture overlay.
“Each PlayPumps structure costs $14,000 to install,” said Aquathon organizer Steve Woods. “It is our goal to raise enough donations to install 10 pumps.”
PlayPumps devices are roundabouts, or merry-go-rounds, attached to a water pump, a storage tank and a tap. When children play, the water pump provides clean drinking water to schools and communities. More than 1,300 PlayPumps water systems have been donated in South Africa, Malawi, Swaziland, Lesotho, Zambia and Mozambique.
Over 1.1 billion people worldwide do not have reliable access to clean drinking water. One water pump can bring safe, clean water to thousands, improving sanitation and enhancing general public health.
About Aquathon:
Aquathon is a 24-hour Twitterthon to raise money for 10 fresh water wells in African communities using PlayPump(R) water systems. Together, our goal is to raise $140,000. That’s 10 PlayPump(R) water systems! On July 25, 2009, celebrity Kirstie Alley will join with 24 hours of tweets and live video dedicated exclusively to Aquathon and PlayPumps International. We hope that you can help us by tweeting and donating to this worthy cause.
