Founder, charity: water
www.charitywater.org
Scott Harrison spent ten years as a New York City party promoter, throwing fashion and music events at top nightclubs for the likes of MTV, VH1, ABC TV, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Universal Records, Island Records, Bacardi and Anheuser-Busch. In the fall of 2004, disgusted with the selfish and indulgent life he led, he returned to his childhood faith and left nightlife to volunteer with a team of humanitarian doctors and surgeons onboard a hospital ship in Liberia, Africa. Armed with a pair of Nikons, Harrison spent 8 months as the ship’s volunteer photojournalist, documenting the incredible need he saw there.
Returning home to New York City a year later, he produced a large exhibition in Chelsea of more than 100 photographs and videos from the journey. The show gathered major media attention and brought in more than $96,000 in donations for medical procedures and freshwater well projects in Africa.
After another tour of service in Liberia, Scott returned to NYC to found the non-profit organization charity: water. Turning his full attention to the global water crisis and the 1.1 billion people without clean water to drink, he and a small team created exhibitions in galleries and outdoor parks, online campaigns, and nationally-aired public service announcements.
In three years, with the help of more than 90,000 donors worldwide, charity: water has raised massive awareness and over $18 million, funding more than 2,300 water projects in 16 developing nations. Those projects will provide over 1,000,000 people with clean, safe drinking water.
Scott’s work has been featured over 300 times in the media including The New York Times, USA Today, NY Daily News, CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX News, Elle Magazine, People Magazine and more. He has given lectures and presentations to companies like Google, Twitter, SalesForce, Saks Fifth Avenue and Creative Artists Agency, and has spoken at many elementary schools, middle schools and universities around the country.
