I set up a table in my living room that held a jar for the donations, nametags, a sign-in sheet and some fun coupons courtesy of BzzAgent!
Each guest was asked to bring a donation of $6.50. This is enough to deliver a LifeStraw to one African child, providing them with a year’s supply of clean water!
I hooked my laptop up to the TV and played this video about LifeStraw and this video about the Cause Party program on a loop, so that my guests could learn more. I also printed out fact sheets about LifeStraw and water-related illness, taping them all over the house.
Johnson & Johnson provided gift bags for all the guests, which came with a full size body wash & lotion from the Body Care line, as well as samples to pass along to friends. I also printed out copies of this brochure about LifeStraw and included one in each bag.
Some of the products on display in my bathroom. Don’t mind the half-finished tile work, we’re in the middle of remodeling!
I bought a ton of food for the party, thanks to the $200 stipend which Johnson & Johnson provided me with. (You can read about everything that I bought here and here!) I set out a full buffet of appetizers and drinks in the kitchen.
Cups with conversation starters tied to them!
Since we’re putting the finishing touches on a new deck, we thought it would be fun to barbecue an assortment of food for the main course.
Our friend Jeff served as the grillmaster, serving up hamburgers, hot dogs, veggie burgers, chicken, and corn on the cob!
It was so wonderful to see all of my friends!
As I took this picture, I announced, “Anyone who doesn’t want to be on my blog, move out of the frame!” and several people scattered – including Jai’s 12-year-old cousin, who made an impressive flying leap underneath the table to escape being photographed!
I’m not sure what I was doing wrong, but I couldn’t get it to work quite right, although Jai was eventually able to; I’m going to talk to my contact at LifeStraw and find out what the problem was. I think these straws are an amazing invention and I want to be able to do a better demonstration next time!
With this party, we raised a grand total of $253.50 for LifeStraw – enough to give 39 African children one year of clean water each! A child dies every 15 seconds from a water-related disease, so this will have a profound effect on those who receive the straws. If you’ve ever felt like you can’t make a difference in the world, think again. Every person who attended this party has changed a child’s life – for less than the cost of going to the movies!
I’d like to thank all of my guests for their kind hearted and generous donations to LifeStraw, as well as Johnson & Johnson, who not only provided all the party supplies, food, and gift bags, but also donated $100 to the cause. I’d also like to give another shout-out to Hotels Combined, who donated $39 last week – enough for 6 LifeStraws – thanks to their Combined For Charity program. That’s 45 children altogether who have been helped through this initiative!!
Looks like a fun party and what a great cause. I hadn’t heard of LifeStraw before, I’m headed over to their website now to learn more.
How great of you to do this? Not only did you have fun, but you supported a great cause.
Seems like the perfect party. Everything was so well put together.
All that food makes me hungry.
Good job for your efforts.
What a fun party. That’s so awesome, I’m so happy you were able to raise money for such a great cause!
Hi Sarah, Keonte & Tiff! Thank you all for stopping by, and your nice comments. The party was so fun and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to raise money for a cause that I really believe in!
Congratulations on a wonderfully successful party. Your interest in, dedication to, and passion for the issue of water-borne disease is clear, and there will be many people who are better off because of your efforts.
All the best,
Hiliary Critchley (Area Manager, Vestergaard Frandsen, the company the produces the LifeStraw®)
What a great cause and a great party!
Wow! It is obvious from your pictures that you went all out for this party! Johnson & Johnson will be thrilled with your results. I’ve never heard of Lifestraw either. What a wonderful cause. Great post!
Wow, great job on supporting such a worthy cause!