Today, I turn 9 years old.

Earlier this year, my friend and I visited charity: water, and I learned about 1,400 children die from diseases caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation every day. That's millions of kids around the world who don't live to see their 9th birthday.

So I want to do something about it. I'm donating my 9th birthday to raise money for people without access to clean water. Instead of asking for presents, I'm asking for my age in dollars from everyone I know.

Every penny of the money raised will directly fund clean water projects in developing countries. Even better, charity: water will show us exactly which projects we funded once they've been fully completed (which takes about 21 months). That means we'll know the locations and names of the communities we helped. So cool!

I hope you'll help me reach my goal. Please donate to my birthday campaign!