He Parties With a Purpose

The idea came to him roughly seven years ago, while driving to work. 

"I had my Nike 'Just Do It' moment," said Scott Delea, 39, founder of Hoboken-based non-profit Party With Purpose. "I thought: what am I waiting for?"

Not being as connected to the Hoboken community as he would have liked to have been, he decided to do something that would impact his "adopted home town." Together with some friends, he started the volunteer-based Party With Purpose, which hosts charity events for specific causes. 

Under the organization's motto "work hard, play hard, give hard," Delea is currently preparing a large fundraiser at the W Hotel to help the victims of the earthquake in Haiti, which will take place on Thursday at 7 p.m.

Celebrities such as Green Bay Packers running back Ryan Grant and model Jenn Sterger will be at the event, mingling with the crowd, Delea said. 

Tickets for Thursday's fundraiser are $100 per person, and still available. On Monday morning, Delea said that roughly 100 tickets had been sold already. 

The event itself doesn't cost Party With Purpose anything, Delea said. "I've pulled every string possible," he said. An important part of Party With Purpose, Delea said, is that people's dollars go further. Because the organization has almost no overhead costs, the money people donate goes directly to the charities, he said. The charities have gone through a vetting process also, Delea said. 

Ticket sales for Thursday's benefit will go to UNICEF and Partners in Health.

But those tickets do need to get sold, which is why Delea is reaching out to what he calls "procrastinators," and is urging everybody to purchase tickets. (You can buy a ticket for the event on Party With Purpose's Web site)

The event will also feature a silent auction. Some of the items, Delea said, will be tickets to a Jay-Z concert, New Jersey Nets tickets and more then  25 other significant items. 

Delea said he expects the event to be a success, as long as people go ahead and buy those tickets. 

"It's not as satisfying to click a mouse to give," Delea said. "You still need that human connection." 

The Haiti Benefit will take place from 7 to 10 p.m. in the Chandelier Room at the W Hotel. Tickets are $100. For more information go to: http://www.partywithpurpose.org. All proceeds of ticket sales will go to UNICEF and Partners in Health.