Chicago dug deep.

Philadelphia may be the City of Brotherly Hugs, but on December 2^nd The Windy City blew us away with some serious love for Water Rights.

Last week DigDeep flew back to the Midwest for our first charity event in Chicago (heck, our first charity event anywhere), and the night could not have been more successful.

Friends, family, colleagues, and (more than a few) strangers gathered to give the gift of clean water this Holiday season. Boys and girls marched though Water Tower Square – the city’s social hub – to fill the galleries at the LUMA art museum. Away from the December wind, guests were welcomed with cocktails, small plates, and covers by Chicago up-and-comers Fletcher Rockwell http://spoti.fi/ubkhPK.

The well-dressed crowd – sprinkled with young staffers from places like Groupon, Intermix, and Harper’s Bazaar – navigated rooms of huge, original photographs from DigDeep’s field missions. Guests reached down to grab eye-catching jerry cans, surprised by the real weight (nearly 80lbs) of water women in the developing world carry every day.

Alongside stories of water poverty and hope, LUMA’s exhibit of crèche scenes reminded everyone of clean water’s importance during this season of giving.

Guests were greeted (and fleeced) by DigDeep Director, George McGraw, and co-founder and movie producer Jason Jones (Bella, The Stoning of Soraya M). As the two men shared their personal experiences of the water crisis around the world, guests bid on a variety of auction items, from pet vacations to a Bulls Game in a private suite. During the event, one guest pledged $5000 to fund an entire well project herself.

100% of the proceeds – which reached nearly $30,000 – will be committed to water projects in South Sudan.

If you’d like to give the gift of clean water this Christmas, click the photo above.

______

If we had the pleasure of welcoming you to this year’s Chicago DigsDeep, thank you so much for your incredible support this Christmas. You can probably catch yourself on this awesome photo spread from photographer Quincy Clegg. http://bit.ly/t6dO5y

If you’d like to attend DigDeep events in the future – whether it’s in Chicago, LA, or somewhere else – be sure to sign up for our mailing list and “like” us on facebook. http://on.fb.me/sCertg

If you’d like to host an event for DigDeep or fundraise for water projects, we’re always available to chat at info@digdeepwater.org.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and reminding you to

DigDeep

A special thanks to the Loyola University Chicago Non-Profit PR Class of 2011 and event host, Sadie Jane McGraw.