You may have noticed we haven’t been blogging much lately. And today, on our fifth birthday, you’ll understand why: we just spent the last week and a half shooting, producing and uploading 250 videos to send individually to some of our fundraisers and supporters. Whew! It was a crazy, exciting, funny and beautiful project.
It’s been rewarding for all of our staff — from web developers to accountants to designers — to learn the details about campaigners and then jump behind the camera to get real with each of them. charity: water turns five today. In the last half decade, we’ve been able to serve more than two million people with clean and safe drinking water.
But that never would’ve happened if we didn’t have the supporters who took our story and made it theirs.
You can see all of our thank-you’s on our new YouTube channel here:
Some days we’re better at being adults than others. Today is not one of those days. Halloween justhappens to be something we’ve always taken pretty seriously at charity: water.
Highlights from our office this year include: a very lovable Garth and Kat, a very terrifying set of twins from the Shining, a human taco, some mac n cheese, Amelia Earhart, a ship captain, an ape, a viking, a Frank head and some very scrappy ninja turtles. Enjoy.
Also– did you see our Snapchat (@charitywater) this morning?!
Even the charity: water staff who’ve never met Sarah Peck know her name. She’s famous in our office. Not for the number of campaigns that she’s run or even the amount of money she’s raised… but forone very crazy promise she made years ago.
It was 2012. 28-year-old Sarah had just heard charity: water’s founder, Scott, speak at Chris Guillebeau’s World Domination Summit, and she was fired up. She wanted to do something to help bring clean water to people in need, and there wasn’t time to wait.
Within 48 hours, Sarah had created her fundraising campaign. She set a $29,000 goal (for her 29th birthday) and announced her terms:
“If enough people donate a crazy amount of money, I promise to swim from Alcatraz to San Francisco in the murky, cold waters — in nothing but my birthday suit.”
Yep. You read that correctly. Sarah Peck volunteered to swim 1.5 miles in freezing cold water, wearing only a swim cap, to raise money for clean water.
“Water is incredibly important to me because it’s what makes me feel at home. I have the luxury of splashing around in giant bodies of water and I realized that some people don’t have enough to stay clean, I want to change that.”
The first $7,000 came quickly. But soon things started to slow down. Even though $29 donations were coming in from all over the place, it still felt like the needle wasn’t moving. That’s when Sarah’s competitive side really came out.
“I made it my personal mission for several weeks to ask as many people as I could — and to ask everyone I came in contact with, whether or not I knew them! I ended up taking taxis and using the ride time to share the story, and drivers would donate my fare or a cup of coffee to the cause, and I’d translate that into donations.”
With the help of 460 donations, Sarah didn’t just reach her $29,000 goal, she surpassed it. Her final tally: $32,398. Which meant that it was time to push aside fears of sharks, tides and giant ships and fulfill her promise.
She studied tide charts, hired a boat captain, notified the Coast Guard. And on a cold day at the end of September 2012, she became a charity: water legend.
It’s fair to call it crazy. Everyone at charity: water calls it crazy. Sarah herself called it crazy.
But crazy is what makes it memorable. Crazy is what inspired hundreds of donors. And, in this case,crazy is what brought clean water to more than 650 people in Ethiopia.
“At the end of the day, my discomfort came from being cold for about an hour, and breaking through some of my social insecurities to ask people for money — that’s nothing compared to not having access to water.”
In addition to the people who took part in her campaign, and the taxi drivers and baristas she befriended, Sarah has inspired every one of us. Our slogan, “the craziest thing we can do is nothing,” was written with her in mind. And her campaign is one we will share forever.
Thank you, Sarah, for giving your voice, your time and your humility to our cause. Here’s to the crazy ones, indeed.
“The world is not transactional. Love and light are expansive. Giving isn’t part of a zero-sum game. When you give, you don’t lose — you get something else in return, and the world keeps moving.”
Two years ago, humanitarian photographer Esther Havens met a young boy named Jean Bosco as a charity: water well was being drilled in his village. Since then, she’s photographed hundreds of people around the world for charity: water. She recently revisited that first village and met up with Jean Bosco again. Here is her story.
All I could hear was my heart thumping.
I walked a familiar dusty road with a camera in my right hand, a stack of photos in my left. I was on a mission to find Jean Bosco.
My world first collided with his two years ago when I traveled to Rwanda with an organization called Wishing Well Africa. We spent three days in his village, Murinja. Each morning, we followed people as they collected drinking water from small, murky ponds and watched them fill their Jerry Cans from the same place where animals sloshed and women washed their laundry. People here spent hours walking for water that made their kids sick. Their kids constantly complained of stomach aches.
I remember the first time I saw Jean Bosco; I took a photo of him immediately. He was a bashful boy but his face resembled maturity beyond his years. He showed me his home. He walked me along the path he used every day to collect pond water.
Like Jean Bosco, I never knew you could drill a hole into the ground and drinkable water would come spewing out.
I wondered if he’d ever know how many people would recognize his face. Without a clue, this one boy had helped bring clean water to villages all over the world by inspiring others to help.
But I saw this first-hand. The day we arrived in Murinja luckily corresponded with the day a charity: water well was drilled. Jean Bosco and I stood side by side and watched as the drilling rig bore into the earth, finding water 70 feet below. We rejoiced together when clean water gushed out of a new well that was a short walk from his home. We knew then that life for him and his neighbors would never be the same.
I left Murinja unsure if I’d ever see him again. But I couldn’t forget Jean Bosco. I shared his story with charity: water, and they shared his story with the world. Before I knew it, he was famous. His face debuted at the charity: water Saks Fifth Avenue gala and showed up at other fundraising events and exhibitions in NYC. I got calls and emails from people so moved by his story that they sponsored wells, started their own fundraising campaigns or in one instance, named a pet after him (the African Grey Parrot at Sea World is lovingly named “Jean Bosco”).
Jean Bosco’s story offered a sobering look at life for millions of kids in the developing world. But to many, he became a symbol of hope and inspiration. Villages like his don’t have to keep drinking brown pond water. All they need is a little help.
In April 2010, charity: water asked me to return to Rwanda. Anticipation mounted as I took off for Murinja Village with water program director Becky Straw and multimedia producer Mo Scarpelli on a crisp Saturday morning. We passed the murky pond where the community once collected water and children fell in step behind us near the freshwater well. I pulled out a couple of photos from years before and asked if anyone recognized Jean Bosco. They giggled at the sight of their friend -– yes! He was nearby! They could show me.
I heard the familiar seesaw-like sound from the well; kids were pumping away, filling their Jerry cans, and I even recognized a few. I asked if they remembered their well’s drilling or if remembered me. “Last time, my hair was white, like Santa Claus,” I explained. A few laughed and said something in Kinyarwandan. “They say you are the same,” our translator told us. “But your hair was like an old man before, so you are younger now.”
“Jean Bosco!” A chorus of excitement rang out as a slight, graceful boy stepped up a small hill where I stood.
I was taken aback -– Jean Bosco looked the same! He was a little taller but his face was indistinguishable. Becky and Mo recognized him from the six-foot tall photo that hung in the charity: water office, a world away.
I handed him printed photos of himself. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly. He hesitated. Then a smile broke out on his face. He reached over — and hugged me. I was flattered and surprised. He remembered me! And he knew why the charity: water well was important to his community.
“We used to get sick,” he told us as his younger brother held tight to his side. “We don’t get sick now.”
“Our stomach pains are gone,” other children chimed in. I scanned the small crowd forming around us and recognized a young woman.
“Clarisse!” She smiled back up at me, bent slightly forward with a new baby on her back. She told us she watched the drilling two years ago while pregnant with her first child. “I knew the water would be safe for my baby,” she told us. “I was relieved.”
We asked her if the new well affected her in other ways.
“Before, I could not get clean,” she told us. “Now, I am shining. I am clean!”
Just two years of clean water transformed this village -– and I got to see it with my own eyes. As I stood with Jean Bosco again near his well before saying goodbye, I wondered if he’d ever know how many people would recognize his face. Without a clue, this one boy had helped bring clean water to villages all over the world by inspiring others to help.
This is why I tell stories, this is why I get close to the people I photograph and this is why I share their heart. Jean Bosco doesn’t yet fully understand the impact of his story. But I’ll keep telling it forever.
When I stared working at charity: water three years ago, the adjective I would’ve used to describe gaming would not have been “philanthropic.”
The U-Pick Video Game Marathon is a perfect example of how wrong I was.
These guys and girls have now run THREE campaigns for charity: water and raised more than $8,000 for clean water projects. Not only that, but they’ve done it by having fun.
The U-Pick team gives people the option to choose games for them to play by making a donation to clean water. Then they play the most popular video games for 48 hours … straight! And they broadcast the entire thing (which you can watch live from June 12th at 8PM EST through June 14th at 8PM here: http://www.upickvg.com/watch-now).
The dedication this crew has to bringing clean water to people in developing countries leaves me speechless (which isn’t easy). I cannot wait to watch them beat their $5,000 goal this month!
Ryan first learned about charity: water after following Instagrammers that were sharing our organization’s mission along with their charity: water campaigns (I love how community grows both organically and digitally — here’s to you, Internet!). He was inspired by our message and our model and boldly decided to take his first step in combating the water crisis by using his 21st birthday to fundraise for clean water.
His campaign concept? A personified Jerry Can.
Ryan is currently advertising his 21st birthday campaign on Instagram (@ryanjaydee) and wants to bring this symbol of the Jerry Can to life. In his words, “If you don’t already know, the Jerry Can is the symbol of charity: water because it represents the people in developing countries that have to carry containers to store their drinking water. When filled up it weighs about 40 pounds. It’s a part of these millions of people’s lives because they have to carry it for long distances to get water for their families. charity: water describes it as a “hope to change” and I completely agree with that. That’s why I want to personify this Jerry can and make people aware of the this problem!“
Ryan, happy 21st birthday! We celebrate you, and we thank you for the impact you’re making in this world.
This September, charity: water turns 10 and we’re celebrating by launching our biggest physical installation in charity: water history. We’ll be taking over The Winter Garden at Brookfield Place in NYC for three weeks this August to raise awareness for the 663 million people living without clean water around the world.
And we want you to be there with us.
We’ll be sharing our new Virtual Reality film, The Source, and inviting the public to put on a VR headset and meet Selam, a 13-year-old girl in Ethiopia. Guests will step into Selam’s world for 9 minutes and experience the moment her village gets clean water for the first time and their lives change forever.
Thanks to a generous anonymous donor and our friends at Morgan Stanley, every viewing of the film will unlock a $30 donation and give one person clean water. Our goal is to bring at least 10,000 people clean water by the end of the three weeks.
If you can’t join us in person, you can still experience The Source! Watch it online here.
Each season we have the opportunity to work with a group of passionate and diligent interns who support our staff in incredible ways. From developing new skills to building relationships, our interns are a crucial part of the charity: water team. Meet our amazing spring interns!
Julia Hammond
School: Fordham University Team: Key Relationships Hometown: Essex, CT
Why did you want to intern at charity: water? I learned about charity: water a few years ago through social media, and the organization’s mission as well as the hopeful, beautiful branding immediately caught my attention. It made me stop to think about the sheer number of people who spend hours every day hauling unclean, unhealthy water, and realize what clean water can mean for an individual, especially girls and women. Ever since then, I’ve wanted to be a part of charity: water and help people around the world get access to the lifeline and the opportunities that clean & safe drinking water provide.
What does a typical day in the office look like for you? I usually grab my computer and a cup of coffee and check my emails and calendar. Then, I usually spend my time collecting and organizing data to help our Key Relationships team keep in contact with our amazing donors! I also send a lot of thank you notes to donors that sponsor entire water projects.
What is your favorite part of interning at charity: water? The people! I love coming into work and immediately feeling all the positive, creative, motivated energy that fills this space. The Key Relationships team is full of amazingly talented, smart, funny, and kind staff & interns that inspire me every day. I also really love learning about the way nonprofits are run, and learning about all the different people and departments that keep this place going!
What is your favorite NYC hangout? I’m a total foodie, so when I have the time, I’m usually running all over the city looking for delicious food & dessert – there’s too many awesome neighborhoods to pick just one! I’m also incredibly lucky to go to school right next to the New York Botanical Garden, which is another favorite of mine.
Fun Fact: My dream job is to be a photojournalist and work for National Geographic.
Ami Patel
School: University of Warwick Team: Key Relationships Hometown: England
Why did you want to intern at charity: water? I enjoyed reading about all the work charity: water had done and the different ways people had been supporting them. I was excited to be part of an organization that is passionate about making a difference, and one where my work would support those that are not getting the opportunities they deserve.
What does a typical day in the office look like for you? I like coming in and making myself a cup of coffee, and then checking my calendar for anything I need to attend that day. The main project I am currently working on is researching major donors. I also help my manager with other smaller tasks such as updating information on NetSuite and mailing gifts to donors.
What is your favourite part of interning at charity: water My favourite part is the people I get to work with. Everyone is very welcoming and willing to answer any questions. I am excited to get to know the people in the organization.
What is your favourite NYC hangout? My favourite NYC hangout is Astoria Park.
Fun Fact: I lived in England for 22 years before moving to New York City last July.
Elizabeth Logan
School: The King’s College Team: Production Hometown: Asheville, North Carolina
Why did you want to intern at charity: water? I have friends who interned at charity: water in the past and they all loved it. I didn’t want an internship where I ran to get coffee every day instead of actually working, so after hearing the reviews of this program I knew it was a perfect fit.
What does a typical day in the office look like for you? I typically come in and answer any emails I might have, then I start on any tasks that Laura and Johanna assigned to me. Sometimes I have to make itineraries for Scott or send merchandise to the UK office or go see a venue. Every day is a little different!
What is your favorite part of interning at charity: water? The people that work at charity: water are my favorite part of this internship. Everyone here has been very kind and open, which I’m very appreciative of.
What is your favorite NYC hangout? I love the Brooklyn Heights Promenade. I lived right next to it for my first two years in the city so it’s a like a little piece of home.
Fun Fact: My favorite movies are Good Will Hunting and Tangled.
Maxi Rodriguez
School: NYU Team: Marketing Hometown: San Diego, CA
Why did you want to intern at charity: water? I found out about charity: water recently when I moved to NYC. An Instagram influencer that I follow posted about charity: water and I decided to learn more about it. I quickly realized that charity: water was different and was drawn in by the commitment to transparency and honesty (something I wasn’t used to seeing a lot of in other nonprofits). I decided it would be a fantastic opportunity to learn more about the inner workings of a charitable organization and help guide me in choosing a possible career path.
What does a typical day in the office look like for you? I’m usually at the front desk, so my day begins by listening to the voicemails left on the Dialpad as well as reading through the call logs and either triaging them to other team members or taking care of it as best I can. If I’m not answering phone calls or greeting visitors while at the desk, I’m usually responding to inquiries that come through the Help Center or info@. Additionally, I’m assisting Annalise with any other tasks that come up (ie. shipping out supporter mail, communicating with students, or providing supporter to fundraisers)
What is your favorite part of interning at charity: water? I really enjoy hearing people’s stories. And I think charity: water supporters have some of the best stories to tell. Whether it’s why they decided to donate or what their giving experience has taught them, hearing our supporters express their joy and excitement for the cause is always so awesome!
What is your favorite NYC hangout? You can almost always find me eating at a Sweetgreen or at Pier 40 playing in a pick-up soccer game. NYC has so many cool places to explore, so I like putting on my sneakers and going on a run across town to really appreciate all it has to offer.
Fun Fact: I’m a huge Manchester United supporter and got to see them play when they went to California last year. Next thing to check off the bucket list: The World Cup!
Danielle Gleason
School: LIM Team: Key Relationships Hometown: Swiftwater, PA
Why did you want to intern at charity: water? In the spring semester of 2017, I took a nonprofit management and cause marketing course to learn more about nonprofits. For the final project in my nonprofit management course, we had to do a research project on an NYC nonprofit. After a quick search, I came across charity: water and immediately wanted to learn all I could. After completing my research project I was eager to learn even more about charity: water and knew I wanted to apply for an internship position.
What does a typical day in the office look like for you? When I come into the office the first thing I do is get myself a cup of hot water for tea. I do this first thing because the water is so hot that it takes at least 40 minutes to reach a drinkable temperature. My typical daily tasks consist of mailing out birthday gifts, mailing out packages, working on projects given to me by my manager, attending meetings, and helping out with intern requests when I can!
What is your favorite part of interning at charity: water? For me, doing a research project on charity: water and now being here as an intern a year later is very rewarding. I love how transparent, honest, and real everyone at charity: water is.
What is your favorite NYC hangout? Being a homebody, my favorite NYC hangout is my room. I really enjoy hanging out at home and escaping the busy city lifestyle. When I do venture out, I love to go to the movies!
Fun Fact: I do not like avocados or coffee.
Henry Thomas
School: The King’s College Team: Finance Hometown: Nashville, TN
Why did you want to intern at charity: water? As a student studying Finance, I jumped at the opportunity to take part in charity: water’s unique 100% Model. The Finance department is crucial to maintaining the organization’s core values, and I enjoy taking part in their meaningful work.
What does a typical day in the office look like for you? Imagine: excel spreadsheets, tax receipts, and a lot of one-on-one communications with donors. While that may not be most people’s’ idea of a fun day, I love it!
What is your favorite part of interning at charity: water? The people - I can honestly say the accountants at charity: water are some of the coolest and funniest people I’ve ever met.
What is your favorite NYC hangout? Brooklyn Promenade
Fun Fact: When I’m not crunching numbers, I’m shooting pictures. I especially love photographing “urban ruins.” I’ve found and explored abandoned schools, hospitals, prisons, and even a nuclear power plant!
Julia Biango
School: Columbia University Team: Water Programs Hometown: Myrtle Beach, SC
Why did you want to intern at charity: water? I intern for charity: water in order to learn the ins and outs of development programming and to gain this knowledge at an organization whose values align with mine.
What does a typical day in the office look like for you? A typical day for me involves scouring through grants to make greater sense out of the data we have collected throughout our extensive program portfolio.
What is your favorite part of interning at charity: water? The exposure and incredible learning opportunity—I feel grateful for having been given the responsibilities and the access to learn so thoroughly about what we do and how we do it. Also, the snacks rock.
What is your favorite NYC hangout? If I have free time, you can most likely catch me at one of the many music venues throughout Brooklyn.
School: Evangel University Team: People and Culture Hometown: Jamaica, NY
Why did you want to intern at charity: water? I wanted to intern charity: water because from the moment I learned about the organization I could not get it out of my mind. I learned about charity: water while looking for a job and the internship was posted. I had never heard much about the organization before then. I decided to do research about the organization and completely believed in the heart and mission. After watching countless videos and reading various stories I knew I wanted to be a part of this in anyway possible.
What does a typical day in the office look like for you? Honestly, a typical day at the office is almost nonexistent. I could be helping with an internal event, running around with a ladder or just assisting Joy Caroline. It all depends on what is the priority at that time.
What is your favorite part of interning at charity: water? My favorite part of interning at charity:water is the people/culture. I have had the opportunity to learn from so many people through conversations and simply watching them work diligently. They are incredibly passionate about their work!
What is your favorite NYC hangout? I love experiencing new things. Having grown up in NYC it sometimes feels like I have seen most of New York, however I have recently discovered New York looks a lot different than it did when I was a teenager. I often try to spend the weekend doing something new. Right now the highline is one of my favorites.
Fun Fact: I used to compete in spoken word competitions.
Katherine Mills
School: Fordham University Team: Brand Partnerships Hometown: Nashville, TN
Why did you want to intern at charity: water? I wanted to intern at charity: water because I have always been a fan of the organization since I originally was introduced to it. I think it is amazing how simple the mission seems, to bring clean and safe drinking water to all people, yet that one cause can affect and touch so many other aspects of the lives that are affected. I specifically feel passionate about the way that women and young girls are impacted by our water projects. They are getting back the time that used to be spent trekking to get water and being able to invest that time into education and even starting small businesses.
What does a typical day in the office look like for you? My typical day is always changing! I assist the Brand Partnerships team doing a variety of tasks. It could be anything from responding to emails from prospective corporate partners, to designing one-pagers, to helping compile and construct donor impact reports.
What is your favorite part of interning at charity: water? My favorite part so far has been the people I get to work with. Everyone is genuinely so nice and ready to help or give advice. Everyone is uplifting and the whole office has a great and overall positive vibe to it. Also, the sparkling water machine in the kitchen is a definite perk.
What is your favorite NYC hangout? My favorite thing to do in NYC is to try new things! Whether it be trying new restaurants, cuisines, art museums, or music venues, I like to try and switch it up every weekend. Anything that has a great view, rooftop, or is by the water, are also automatic favorites of mine. I love to be outdoors.
Fun Fact: I am going to be spending my summer in Granada, Spain studying and living with a Spanish family! I don’t speak any Spanish.
Each summer at charity: water, we take two days away from work and team up on fun and intensive projects to bring exciting ideas to life. It’s a time for our staff to step out of their comfort zones (and desk zones), and spend a couple days looking at things from a fresh perspective with teammates they don’t usually get to spend enough time with. It’s the perfect place to bring an idea to life that you’ve always wanted to try out, but found that it never really aligned with your day-to-day work. And it creates an environment where ideas and innovation can thrive, where failure is seen as equally important as success, and where we can practice creative thinking while collaborating together.
Our third annual Hackathon took place last week and the days were filled with lots of sticky notes, snack breaks, and most of all, a whole bunch of great ideas.
And although not all of these ideas will live on, here’s what we hacked up:
Office Tour: Kids Edition
We created a fun and engaging experience for kids in the office where they get to collect stamps on their very own Passport as they complete activities around the office like going on a Water Walk, watching VR, writing on our #nothingiscrazy wall, pumping the well and more, all to unlock donations for clean water.
charity: cast
To establish a new way to reach our audiences with a focus on stories from the field, one team created charity: water’s very own podcast, charity: cast. They outlined future topics and themes and even recorded and produced the pilot episode featuring Robin Cho, one of our water programs officers, who is currently in Mozambique!
Power of 10 Timeline
With our 10th anniversary fast approaching, this Hackathon team created a timeline of charity: water’s biggest milestones over the past 10 years including stories, events, projects, campaigns, and trips to the field. As an added bonus, they also created “An Evolution of Scott’ timeline showcasing Scott’s biggest moments since the beginning of charity: water.
Supporters Starter Pack
In an effort to support those who are getting the word out about charity: water, running campaigns, and donating, we created a Supporters Starter Pack both for kids and adults filled with goodies such as informational decks, reference sheets with facts and figures, inspirational videos, pictures, and activities to help them spread the charity: water story to their communities.
Utilizing our Data Platform
As an organization that heavily relies on data, one team explored different ways we can use our data to make our work more productive and efficient. This included generating donor profile dashboards with insights into their cumulative giving and donating habits.
The Spring Mobile App
As we continue to work on making the experience for our monthly donors better, this Hackathon team brainstormed what it would look like to have a mobile app featuring a feed with updates from the field, a profile highlighting your personal impact, a map to see the status of projects in the field, an area to interact with other monthly donors in your community, and more.
A Healthy, Green, and Productive Office
Healthy people make for a healthy team. One team came up with ways that we can promote each other’s health with office yoga, running or biking as a team, keeping our office green, and friendly weekly competitions with staff metrics to keep us going. They also brainstormed methods to make our team more productive including meditation and individual meeting caps.
Unlocking Matching Funds
Major donors and brands love to give in a way that maximizes their impact. This Hackathon team brainstormed how we can use matching funds to get more subscriptions, activate campaigns, and increase referrals. They created a coupon page to catch potential donors before they abandon our website with matching incentives to stick around.
The Collective: A Volunteer Club
We created a pilot brand ambassador program in five key cities that builds awareness, boosts our revenue streams, and creates new communities of volunteers and supporters across the country. This program is anchored in unlocking a series of badges tied to specific challenges that unlock key resources and perks.
VR Landing Page
This Hackathon team designed and built a VR site that features the amazing work charity: water is doing with virtual reality. It shares not only our VR film “The Source,” but also behind the scenes photos and videos, how-it’s-done, write-ups, extras, and more.
Team Rogue
And one team went a little rogue. They wanted to tackle the problem of centralizing all our online products via a unified supporter portal. Needless to say, they bit off a little more than they could hack. So instead, they decided to merge all the account settings and hard code a really simple logged in state for our supporters.
And of course, documenting all the fun on Snapchat!
(Photos courtesy of Sam Dornfest and Cubby Graham)
That’s the number of people who have gained access to clean and safe water thanks to our brand partners. We are incredibly grateful for this community of like-minded brands and their ability to raise awareness for the water crisis in powerful and creative ways.
To celebrate their work and inspire new collaborations, we hosted our third annual Brand Partnership X Summit at Canoe Studios in NYC! This year, we were joined by over 65 brands for a day of insightful conversations. We focused on innovation and what it means for our work at charity: water, in partnerships, and in the world around us. From groundbreaking sensor technology and the launch of The Pool to jewelry crafted from meteorites and sprinkle-filled rainbow cakes, we left feeling inspired to keep creating and pushing the boundaries.
Check out the highlights from this year’s event:
We are so grateful to everyone who joined us. The Summit would not have been possible without our speakers who generously gave their time to help us see how purposeful innovation can drive change. A very special thank you to:
Professor, author, and entrepreneur Scott Galloway, for showing us the importance of having a meaningful career and helping us understand our life strategies, not just business strategies.
Kristin De Simone and Sylvia Hartley, Partners at Thrive Market, for sharing the story of how Thrive Market decided to partner with charity: water and for reimagining what giving means for their brand and customers.
Simon Sinek, optimist and bestselling author, for teaching us what it means to feel fulfilled and reminding us that we need to build the future together.
Artist and designer Monique Péan, for sharing her story and inspiring us with her incredible craft and unwavering commitment to sustainability and support of local communities.
Paull Young, Partner at Facebook, for showing us what being a true partner really means and encouraging the importance of working in tandem to create change.
Amirah Kassem, baker and entrepreneur, for urging us to be our true selves and demonstrating how working hard and inspiring joy can go hand-in-hand!
Another special thank you to Canoe Studios for the beautiful space and delicious catering; Taylor Creative for the comfortable and stylish furnishings; Badger Mountain Vineyard and Sunday Beer Co for providing the wine and beer for cocktail hour; Thrive Market and Scott Galloway for helping us fill our swag bags; C2 Imaging for printing and installing the stunning branding elements; Dear Bayard for the beautiful greenery; The Spaniard for hosting our pre-event cocktail party; and all of the volunteers who worked tirelessly and joyfully to ensure the day went off without a hitch.
