Santa Barbara Twestival Offers Unique Opportunity to Tweet, Meet, Give
Twitter Community Flocks to Support Direct Relief International through Online Donations and In-Person Festivities
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (August 14, 2009) – The second Santa Barbara Twestival takes flight Friday, September 11. The event, featuring food, wine, music, local celebrities, and live on-screen Tweeting, will be held—appropriately—at the Canary Hotel’s rooftop, the Perch.
A Twestival, or Twitter-Festival, is a global series of events organized by volunteers around the world via Twitter, which bring people together for a great cause. This year’s event will benefit Santa Barbara-based humanitarian medical aid charity Direct Relief International.
Anyone can become part of Twestival Santa Barbara simply by pledging their donations online via the online payment system Amiando. The first 150 people to donate $25 or more will each receive a ticket to attend the Santa Barbara Twestival, though donations of any amount are appreciated. One hundred percent of all donations will go directly to Direct Relief. Interested people can get event news on the official Twitter feed, Facebook fan page, and Twestival blog.
“We’re thrilled that Direct Relief was selected as the beneficiary of the Santa Barbara Twestival,” said Direct Relief spokesperson Jim Prosser. “Just like the Twitter community, our outreach spans the globe, but our roots are in Santa Barbara. Twestival is an innovative and exciting way for us to connect with people and spread the word about health issues both around the corner and around the world.”
Santa Barbara Twestival organizer David Baeza assembled a team of volunteers from the community using Twitter, and employees from Santa Barbara-based Citrix Online, where he is Vice President of Customer Acquisition, to support and help organize the event. “Twitter is a powerful yet simple form of real-time communication,” Baeza said. “It’s a tool for instant personal connection that volunteers will use to rally support for Direct Relief International. Twitter’s reach is limitless, but the Canary’s capacity isn’t—so get your tickets soon.”
Santa Barbara is part of a worldwide network of 200-plus cities hosting events between September 10 and 13 where Twitter users and online communities gather “offline” to raise money for a charity in their community. “'Twestival Local challenges people to think globally and act locally. By leveraging the power of social media and online communication tools, communities are able to come together as volunteers to put the spotlight on important local causes,” said Amanda Rose, Twestival architect.
The Santa Barbara Twestival is being organized by volunteers, local residents and corporate sponsors, including the lead underwriter, Citrix Online, a local software company known for GoToMyPC®, GoToMeeting®, and other online collaboration products. In addition to supporting the Santa Barbara event, Citrix Online is providing Twestival Global organizers free access to Citrix Online tools to assist with event planning between August 2009 and July 2010.
To learn more about the Santa Barbara Twestival, visit santabarbara.twestival.com, www.twitter.com/sbtwestival or www.facebook.com/sbtwestival. For more information about global Twestival , visit www.twestival.com.
WHAT: Santa Barbara Twestival
WHY: Benefit for Direct Relief International (www.DirectRelief.org)
WHEN: Thursday, September 11, 2009, 6-9 p.m.
WHERE: The Canary Hotel, Santa Barbara – The Perch rooftop terrace
WHO: First 150 donors of $25 or more can attend (must be over 21)
About Direct Relief International:
Founded in 1948, Direct Relief is a Santa Barbara, California-based nonprofit organization focused on improving quality of life by bringing critically needed medicines and supplies to local healthcare providers worldwide. Direct Relief works in 59 countries, including the United States where it has provided more than $150 million in assistance and is the only nonprofit licensed to provide prescription medicines in all 50 states. It is one of two charities ranked by Forbes that has received a perfect fundraising efficiency score for seven consecutive years and is ranked by the Chronicle of Philanthropy as California’s largest international nonprofit organization based on private support. For more information, please visit www.DirectRelief.org.
About Citrix Online:
Citrix Online provides secure, easy-to-use online solutions that enable people to work from anywhere with anyone. Whether using GoToMyPC® to access and work on a remote PC, GoToAssist® to support customers or GoToMeeting® to hold online meetings or GoToWebinar® for larger online events, our customers—more than 35,000 businesses and hundreds of thousands of individuals—are increasing productivity, decreasing travel costs and improving sales, training and service on a global basis. A division of Citrix Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: CTXS), the company is based in Santa Barbara, California. For more information, visit www.citrixonline.com or call +1-805-690-6400.
###