This year I'm turning 24, and I wanted to make it count. I pretty much have everything I could ever want. A great family, awesome friends, and clean water :)

At first, I thought "crap...I'm going to be a year older...that's daunting".

But then I found out that millions of people don't live to see their fifth birthdays. And why? Because they don't have access to clean, safe water.

So instead of getting more junk I don't need to make me worry about MORE #firstworldproblems, I want to help people around the world have the same opportunities I have.

I'm asking for $24 from everyone I know -- and every penny of the money raised will go directly to fund clean water projects in developing nations. Even better, charity: water will show us exactly which projects we funded once they've been fully completed (which takes about 18 months). That means we'll be able to see the communities we've helped!

My goal is to raise $500 for my birthday, on November 2nd. That's clean water for 25 people. And if I can, I definitely want to exceed that if possible.

You may not know me, and we may not know the people we're helping, but we can definitely impact others. Great things always start somewhere.