It's my birthday, and I don't need a darn thing. Nothing. I'm blessed beyond words.

But I still want something for my birthday, and I'm asking for your help.

This year, I'm giving up my birthday. And this isn't just any birthday either. It's my Golden Birthday.

On November 22, I'm turning 22 years old, and instead of asking for gifts, I'm asking for $22 from you.

And every dollar, every dime, every stinkin' penny is going to build freshwater wells for people in developing nations.

Oh, and if we raise $5,000 by the end of 2010, I'm going to run a marathon in May 2011, and your name will be on the shirt I wear.

A billion people in the world are living without clean water - but how much are they really living? Millions contract deadly diseases from contaminated water. 45,000 people will die this week alone. 45,000 people dead THIS WEEK.

Every twenty seconds a child dies due to a lack of clean water. That means three have died since you've been on this page.

My birthday wish this year is not for more gifts I don't need; it's to give clean and safe drinking water to some of the billion living without it. I want to make my birthday matter this year.

Will you join me in impacting lives? Let's change the world.

[please note: Because of charity: water's unique model, 100% of all donations go directly to direct water projects costs, and each donation is "proved" and tracked to the village it helped when projects are complete.]