**PLEASE PUT YOUR EMAIL OR TWITTER HANDLE IN THE COMMENTS IF YOU DONATE, SO I CAN SEND YOU A NOTE OF THANKS, OR THAT DAY'S PRIZE! THANKS!**

I had heard about charity:water, but the true reach didn't hit home until I heard Scott speak about the charity he created, how lack of clean water causes more deaths every year than ALL VIOLENT ACTS, INCLUDING WAR. Seeing the images of what water-borne diseases can cause. Hearing the stories. And learning how small donations can literally change lives.

So during this season, when many people begin their annual countdown to the holidays, I'm doing my own countdown: The Twelve Days of Giving. Every day, from Dec. 1-12th, we're taking donations to charity:water to help provide clean water to villages - hundreds! - of people in developing regions. Every penny that is donated goes directly to building a well in these areas. And to add a bit more of an incentive, I'm giving away a prize to someone who has donated that day, a very small way to say thanks for helping with this cause that is so important to me. Be sure to add your Twitter handle or email in the comments when you donate so I can get in touch with you to offer - at the very least - a note of gratitude.

And with each glass of water I drink each day, I give thanks. And hope that one day soon, the money we raise together will allow someone else to do the same.