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Scott Harrison (charity founder)

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Scott Harrison
Harrison speaking in 2010.
Born (1975-09-07) September 7, 1975 (age 49)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
NationalityAmerican
EducationNew York University
SpouseViktoria Harrison (née Alexeeva)
Websitewww.charitywater.org

Scott Harrison (born September 7, 1975)[1] is the founder and current CEO of the non-profit charity: water.[2] Harrison is the author of Thirst: A Story of Redemption, Compassion, and a Mission to Bring Clean Water to the World.[3]

Early life and career

Scott Harrison was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and grew up in Hunterdon County, New Jersey.[4] Harrison began working as a nightclub and party promoter in Manhattan.[2] He spent the next 10 years organizing parties for the likes of MTV, VH1, Bacardi and Elle.[5] In August 2004, after a shooting at a nightclub he promoted in Uruguay,[6] Harrison quit his job and volunteered as a photojournalist for the Christian charity Mercy Ships, which operates a fleet of hospital ships offering free healthcare, being inspired by his father’s gift of A.W. Tozer’s book, “The Pursuit of God”.[7]

charity: water

During his two years with Mercy Ships, Harrison was exposed to the conditions of the impoverished in Liberia. As a response, Harrison founded charity: water in 2006. The charity is a non profit organization that works to bring clean water to people in developing nations through its use of public donations, which directly fund water projects such as building wells and sanitation facilities.[8][9] While charity:water has claimed to spend 100% of its funding on programming costs, in 2017 Harrison received $325,278 from the organization.[9]

Guest appearances

Harrison was interviewed[10] by Reid Hoffman on the Masters of Scale podcast, where he told the story of Charity:Water and how he used the art of storytelling to build the brand.

Personal life

Harrison is married to Viktoria Harrison, who leads design and branding for charity:water.[11] They have two children: a son named Jackson and a daughter named Emma. Harrison is a Christian.[12][13]

Publications

  • Harrison, Scott; Sweetingham, Lisa (2018). Thirst: A Story of Redemption, Compassion, and a Mission to Bring Clean Water to the World. Currency. ISBN 9781524762841. OCLC 1052621664.

References

  1. ^ Harrison, Scott (2013). "Scott's 38th Birthday for India". charity: water. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  2. ^ a b Kristof, Nicholas (July 11, 2009). "Clean, Sexy Water". The New York Times. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  3. ^ "This reformed 'club rat' has raised millions for clean water projects". CNN. 23 January 2019. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  4. ^ Burstein, David D. (May 18, 2015). "A Changed Generation: Scott Harrison | charity: water". Fast Company. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  5. ^ Root, Jessica (August 13, 2009). "Meet Scott Harrison, Founder of charity: water". Planet Green. Discovery Communications. Archived from the original on December 13, 2010. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  6. ^ Catherine Clifford (2018-03-22). "How Charity: Water's founder went from hard-partying NYC club promoter to helping 8 million people around the world". CNBC.
  7. ^ Bond, Mindy (August 31, 2005). "Scott Harrison, Photojournalist". Gothamist. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved November 14, 2010.
  8. ^ Friedman, Zack. "This Former Club Promoter Is Now Working To Solve The Global Water Crisis". Forbes. Retrieved 2019-08-02.
  9. ^ a b Gelles, David (2019-04-11). "A Charity Accepts Uber Stock as Donations. Then Uses It to Pay Staff Bonuses. Is That O.K.?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  10. ^ "Masters of Scale — hosted by Reid Hoffman". WaitWhat. Retrieved 2019-01-09.
  11. ^ "Viktoria Harrison of charity: water Quenches Her Thirst for Philanthropy". 9 September 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  12. ^ Lancaster, Jessilyn. "From Rock Star to Rock Bottom: How the Holy Spirit Gave This Man a Supernatural 'Thirst'". Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  13. ^ "Charity: Water Founder Scott Harrison Discussed Faith, Redemption and Clean Water with Bill Simmons". Retrieved 22 February 2020.
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