Procter & Gamble’s (NYSE: PG) PUR Water Filtration announces it is joining forces with some of the hottest names in the music and entertainment industries, and other cultural influencers to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise awareness about the need for clean drinking water in the developing world and funds for life-saving water programs. For years, PUR and its charity partner the Children’s Safe Drinking Water (CSDW) Program have worked together to make sure that children around the world have clean water to drink. It was because of this expertise that PUR was invited to join SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT: Kilimanjaro which includes actors Jessica Biel and Isabel Lucas, and musician Kenna.

The PUR team was first approached to join SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT: Kilimanjaro by creator and Grammy-nominated artist, Kenna. As a child in Ethiopia, Kenna’s father nearly lost his life after contracting a water-borne disease from drinking contaminated water. This motivated the singer to organize the upcoming SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT: Kilimanjaro climb in the hopes of raising worldwide awareness about the critical need for clean drinking water.

“It only makes sense to partner with PUR Water Filtration brand for SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT,” said Kenna. “PUR is a part of the solution both domestically and abroad. I am thankful to have such generous and focused partners for SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT. Together we will bring awareness to the global clean water crisis and save lives.”

Kenna has enlisted a number of other celebrities to help shine the spotlight on this effort, scheduled to take place at the beginning of January 2010. Also joining the 19,340-foot mountain climb will be Grammy-winning hip-hop artist Lupe Fiasco and other cultural influencers and water educators, with additional climbers planning to sign on over the next few months. Dr. Greg Allgood, Founder and Director of the CSDW Program, will also be joining the climb as one of the SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT team’s water experts. He’ll lend his vast expertise and educate the climbers about the global water crisis along the steep journey.

In addition to scaling Mt. Kilimanjaro, the climbers will be visiting a nearby village in Arusha, Tanzania where Dr. Allgood will show them, firsthand, the toll the global water crisis is taking on communities around the world, as well as the relief efforts being used to help.

“Clean, healthy drinking water is a basic need for people everywhere but unfortunately many go without,” said Dr. Greg Allgood. “By joining forces with others who share a common goal, we can bring major attention to the global water situation and provide even more people with access to clean drinking water – whether it’s abroad or right in their own kitchens.” Anyone in the U.S. can join the clean drinking water cause by purchasing a PUR pitcher or faucet mount system, which donates a week’s worth of clean drinking water to a small child in a developing country.

Every day, 4,000 children in developing countries die from illness and disease related to unsafe drinking water. Since 2004, PUR and the CSDW Program have worked together to prevent water-related diseases with tiny packets of PUR water purification powder which, developed by a P&G engineer, can transform potentially deadly water into clear, purified drinking water within 30 minutes. The CSDW Program and its partners distribute these PUR sachets throughout the world and, to-date, have delivered over 1.6 billion liters of clean drinking water to those in need.

In addition to delivering clean drinking water around the world, in the U.S., PUR also provides high quality drinking water with its line of pitchers, faucet mounts and refrigerator filters. PUR also helps the environment by eliminating the need for bottled water – while saving people about $600 a year. In addition, PUR is the first leading water filtration brand to claim reduction of trace levels of pharmaceuticals identified in U.S. tap water*. PUR filters have the ability to remove unwanted contaminants including atrazine, heavy metals, such as lead, and microbial cysts. To learn more about PUR Water Filters or to donate to the Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program, please visit PURWater.com and CSDW.org.

To find out about the SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT: Kilimanjaro program, please visit summitonthesummit.com or follow @DrGregAllgood on Twitter as he tackles Mt. Kilimanjaro with Kenna and the rest of the SUMMIT climbers. Or continue to check back at this site for continued updates and news.

About SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT: Kilimanjaro

SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT: Kilimanjaro is an ascent to raise awareness of the global clean water crisis and will take place this coming January. Grammy-nominated musician, philanthropist, and “actionist” Kenna masterminded the expedition in which many of the world’s brightest minds and major global influencers, will climb Tanzania’s Mt. Kilimanjaro. The climb will not only raise awareness of the global clean water crisis, but also raise funds for The Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and PlayPumps International. All funds raised by SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT: Kilimanjaro will be managed and distributed through the United Nations Foundation, the project’s charitable advisors. Corporate partners and sponsors of SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT: Kilimanjaro include HP, PUR, and First Ascent. For additional information, please visit www.summitonthesummit.com.

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The expedition – which includes 4 days of ascent, 2 days of descent, 19,340 feet, and subzero temperatures – will be outfitted by HP, which will provide Thin and Light notebooks to climbers so they can share blog posts, photos and videos. Other partners include PUR – which developed a water packet that converts dirty drinking water into clean water in 30 minutes – expedition outfitting from First Ascent by Eddie Bauer and charitable advising from the UN Foundation.