Our annual Thirst Gala is a lot like any other awards show in Hollywood: stars dress up, honors are given out and everyone has a great time. In fact, the night is held in the same place as the Golden Globes!
But the Thirst Gala celebrates more than just talented people; it celebrates our efforts towards ending the global water crisis and simultaneously raises money to continue our mission. This year, we hope our 3rd gala will spread the word about our goal to provide healthy drinking water to every person in Swaziland.
Last year’s event was hosted by “Grey’s Anatomy” star Chyler Leigh and “Teen Wolf” hunter JR Bourne and we raised over $150,000 to build wells across the globe! Let’s take a look back at what made the night so successful.
Chyler Leigh, JR Bourne and Seth Maxwell (Getty)
Many cast members from the MTV show “Teen Wolf” showed up looking amazing. Colton Haynes, Holland Roden, Tyler Posey, Dylan O’Brien and Tyler Hoechlin enjoyed a bit of cast bonding at the event. The hit show “Glee” was also well represented with actors Dot Marie Jones, Josh Sussman, and Iqbal Theba attending. They presented Karen Roban with the “Volunteer Award” for her selfless work with the Thirst Project.
"Teen Wolf" cast members, and "Glee" cast members with Karen (Getty)
Michael Welch of “Twilight” received the “Pioneering Spirit Award.” “We are all branches of the same tree,” he told the audience at the Beverly Hills Hilton. “Just live your life and help in any way you can, because every positive action makes the world a better place.” His co-star Christian Serratos, “Parenthood” regular Jason Ritter and “Teen Wolf” actor Justin Chon presented him with the honor.
Michael accepts his award while Christian looks on; Jason, Justin and Seth congratulate Michael (Getty)
Jason Fry accepted the “Vision Award” for being our largest sponsor last year. His company, Groobs, has a buy-one-give-50% policy where customers purchase a pair of shoes and choose where 50% of their money will go. Featuring our cause on his site has helped raise lots of money to build more and more wells! Check out this funny video explaining his mission and how we started working together.
New Jersey student Kaitlyn Bryans had an incredible acceptance speech after she received the “Power Of Youth” award for raising over $7,000! “There’s no line between me and the solution,” she said, detailing her realization that she had to help those in need.
Matt Schockly and YouTube sensation Savannah Outen both performed. Savannah is a huge supporter of the Thirst Project and lent her soulful voice to Miley Cyrus‘ song “The Climb.”
“Lost” actress Beth Broderick and OWN Network’s Kristina Kuzmic rallied the audience to reach for their wallets and donate money to pay for wells in places like Niger, Columbia, and (of course) Swaziland. The first bidder bought an entire well on his own, and the generosity didn’t end there. When the bidding did finally slow, Kristina wisely auctioned off kisses from host JR Bourne, which proved successful!
Watch the entire gala below and catch all the heart-warming and hilarious moments of the night. Get excited for this year’s Thirst Gala, which will be Livestreaming from the Beverly Hills Hilton on June 26th at 5 PM PST.
