http://www.usatoday.com/video/index.htm#/Life/Jars+of+Clay+completes+1000+Wells+Project/43093139001/40223677001/706091443001

Tickets for Jars of Clay's Well:Done Celebration go on sale through Ticketmaster, the Ryman box office or www.ryman.com this morning (Saturday, December 11) at 10 a.m. Tickets are $50, plus associated fees. For more information, visit www.bloodwatermission.com/welldone.

(Nashville, Tenn.) December 10, 2010 – Multi-platinum, GRAMMY and GMA Dove Award-winning band Jars of Clay, together with friends and colleagues from its philanthropic non-profit organization Blood:Water Mission, will celebrate the completion of the Mission’s “1000 Wells Project,” as the 1000th functioning, clean-water well system is built in Sub-Saharan Africa.

In commemoration of this milestone, the band will host a benefit show aptly titled the “Well:Done Celebration” featuring an evening of live music and stories on May 10, 2011, at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium, with all proceeds going to the humanitarian outfit.

Throughout the evening, musical performances will be interwoven with video vignettes sharing the history, journey and forward-looking goals of Blood:Water Mission, with interviews highlighting the impact of the group’s work in Africa and the U.S. Jars of Clay’s lead vocalist, Dan Haseltine, will travel to Ndola, Zambia in January to visit some of the projects in the initial 1000 communities to collect personal stories of the lives impacted, to share at the upcoming benefit.

In the last six years, Blood:Water Mission has served more than 600,000 people in 11 different countries with safe water, hygiene and sanitation and has opened four comprehensive care clinics that has served more than 26,000 people living with HIV/AIDS. Funds have been raised through nationwide community-led lemonade stands, car washes and other grassroots efforts. To learn more about Blood:Water Mission and how to get involved, visit www.bloodwatermission.com

Premium ticket packages that include premier seating, a pre-event reception and artist meet-and-greet can be purchased for $250 by contacting Blood:Water Mission at: bloodwater@bloodwatermission.com. Sponsorship opportunities are also available.

“As I look back and see how far Blood:Water Mission has come -- and how many lives have been impacted through its efforts -- I'm overwhelmed,” notes Haseltine. “We celebrate this milestone but do not consider it a place to pause. Knowing this goal was attainable compels us even more to tell the stories of our friends in Africa: of their villages being turned around due to the presence of a functioning water-well; of children who can now read and women who have learned a trade and are able to grow their village's economy, all because they no longer have to walk miles to draw water – water that isn't even safe to drink. We're thankful to all who have joined us in this effort and ask your continued support as we continue to look, and march, ahead for our brothers and sisters in Africa.”

Additional artists will be announced shortly, and tickets go on sale through Ticketmaster, the Ryman box office or www.ryman.com starting Saturday, December 11 at 10 a.m. Tickets are $50, plus associated fees. For more information, visit www.bloodwatermission.com/welldone.

Click on the attached link to read the WashingtonPost.com feature story:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/10/AR2010121001493.html.

About Blood:Water Mission:
Founded by the multi-platinum, GRAMMY Award-winning band, Jars of Clay, Blood:Water Mission was launched in 2005 as a call to personalize the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa. After discovering the vital link between living with HIV/AIDS and the need for clean water Blood:Water Mission launched the 1000 Wells Project in 2005 as a nation-wide effort to provide funds for clean water, hygiene and sanitation to 1000 communities in sub-Saharan Africa.

About Jars of Clay:
Jars of Clay, made up of members Dan Haseltine (vocals), Charlie Lowell (keyboards), Stephen Mason (guitars), and Matt Odmark (guitars), launched its breakout career with the multi-format hit “Flood” in 1995. Since then, it has amassed more than 6 million in career sales (5 Gold, 2 Platinum and 1 Double Platinum certification), three GRAMMY Awards (from 8 nominations), an American Music Award nod, six GMA Dove Award nominations, 17 No. 1 radio hits, and numerous film credits and BMI honors for songwriting and performing. The band’s GRAMMY-nominated 10th album, The Long Fall Back to Earth, debuted at No. 1 on SoundScan and on Oct. 5, 2010, Jars of Clay released the compelling and community-minded project, Jars of Clay Presents The Shelter.

The band recently wrapped its fall co-headlining tour with Brandon Heath, which sold out 7 cities during the 23-city run. In partnership with Blood:Water Mission and Food for the Hungry, the tour saw nearly 25,000 fans and more than 400 kids sponsored.

While celebrated for its music and writing, Jars of Clay is most concerned with the needs in Africa. Compelled to make a difference, the group successfully launched the Blood:Water Mission, a non-profit organization promoting clean blood and water in Africa. Since the band’s debut, Jars of Clay has built an extraordinary career based on the uncompromising integrity of its music, worldview, and humanitarianism. For more information, please go to www.jarsofclay.com.

For more info on Jars of Clay, visit the JFH Artists Database.