Can you imagine living without access to clean water? Me neither.

I turn 24 soon. Ohmygosh. That's crazy. But you know what's crazier? Every day, 1,400 kids die from water-related illnesses before they even reach their fifth birthday. About 800 million people on the planet don't have access to clean drinking water. Now, I'm not great with numbers, but any kid will tell you...that's a lot of zeroes - and a lot of people.

I don't normally ask for presents or like to make a big deal out of my birthday, but I love water - drinking it, looking at it, swimming in it (as did my 9 year old self) - and I can't imagine living without access to clean water I can enjoy, not to mention drink to survive. So this year, I figured I'd make use of my 'big day' to point to something bigger and, with your help, help to make it slightly smaller.

If you were gonna get me a gift or buy me a meal or something, give some water instead! If you weren't gonna get me anything, shame on you (ha, just kidding!); give some anyway! Just 'cos I like symbolism and stuff, I'm asking for my age in dollars, if you're up for it. But every dollar helps, so if you're reading this at all, I, and 800 million people around the world, ask that you spare just a dollar. I know it feels a bit lame but ONE DOLLAR IS 100 CENTS MORE THAN NO DOLLAR.

EVERY cent of every dollar you donate will be used to build clean water projects in developing countries. charity: water funds their operating costs separately through a group of private donors, so 100% of all public donations go directly to people in need. We will also get to see exactly which projects we funded once they've been fully completed (which takes about 21 months).

PLUS, for a limited time (till the fund runs out), every dollar you donate will be matched by a donation from Keurig Green Mountain. 'Know what that means?? 1 = 2! It defies all logic and laws of mathematics! AWESOME. But seriously, it's a great deal. So you're in right?

Cool? Cool. What are you waiting for? Let's do this. Dollars up, everyone.

**UPDATE: The initial goal of $1,022.90 has been reached already, thanks to your generosity!! But I bet we can do even better, so I'm increasing it to $2,210.90 - this will help 63 people get access to clean water! Remember, every dollar is matched, so that means we only need about $500 more to reach this new goal!