UNBELIEVABLE

WOW! What a Ride! Last night's WPPI Thirst Mentor Benefit Auction was unreal!

Bringing in nearly $25,000.00 or more! I am in awe.

6000 lives saved! Wow!


A Note from Thirst Relief International:

Dear Friends,

I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of support that all of you have
shown for Thirst Relief International. It is truly a blessing and I am
in awe of the fact that over $24,000 was raised to help provide people
with much needed clean drinking water. Thank you to everyone that
placed bids... I am still in shock!

I also want to thank the talented photographers who donated their
time during a busy week to make this possible. It is truly a
testament to their character that they are willing to help others, by
helping others!

None of this would have been possible without all the hard work and
and help from Davina Fear, an amazing photographer in her own right.
It was even her original idea to do the mentor benefit!

I want to take a moment to address the controversy that took place in
the final minutes before midnight, and the subsequent confusion. I
want to reassure everyone that there was absolutely nothing unethical
that was done on our part or by Fotoverite, who graciously hosted the
auction at no charge.

Unbeknownst to any of us, the auction software built into the site
has a feature to prevent sniping, the practice of submitting last
minute bids just before the end of an auction which has become common
practice on other auction sites such as eBay. If you think about it,
no real live auctions are done that way, and the bidders always have
a chance to keep bidding until the point where they are not willing
to pay anymore, and it has nothing to do with a time limit. I think
most people would agree that this is certainly a more fair practice,
but we deeply regret that this policy wasn't made widely aware in
advance.

I understand some people where disappointed by the results, and I
truly apologize. I hope we haven't diminished your view of our
organization because of something that was out of our control. I
promise that next time, the auction rules will be perfectly clear, no
matter where it is hosted.

Noone forsaw this happening and I wish we could
make it better for all. It's simply impossible for us to go back and
do anything that works as a win, win for all. For those who did win, enjoy
your time! I would have loved to have met with all of the mentors!
I just want to thank every single person who participated from the
bottom of my heart. You have saved close to 6,000 lives and made the
world a better place.

Lastly, be sure to go to www.thirstrelief.org and make your online donation
if you were the winning bidder.


Warmly,
Jim Hicks, Thirst Relief International