On November 2nd, I'm turning 35. Instead of the usual dinner and a big, fun party, I want to do something special, something that matters. Hearing Viktoria Harrison from charity: water speak at Brooklyn Beta about freshwater projects for people in developing countries gave me the impetus I needed.

Almost a billion people in the world are living without clean water. Millions contract deadly diseases from contaminated water. 30,000 people will die this week alone. The lucky ones won't, but still have to walk hours each day to get dirty water for their families.

My birthday wish this year is not for more gifts; it's to give clean and safe drinking water to some of the billion people living without it.

So, this year, I'm giving up my birthday and asking everyone I know to contribute the money they would have spent on gifts, drinks, food, and other birthday-related things to my H20Works campaign instead. Please make it my age in dollars, $35, or any other amount, and you can help give clean water to people who desperately need it. My goal is to reach $3,500 or more, and 100% of this money will fund the equipment to drill wells for people in northern Ethiopia.

That's not all; charity: water will mount a GPS device to drilling rig we fund, so we'll be able to follow it from village to village once the work gets underway! This appeals to the tech geek in me. :-)

Each drilling rig can help bring clean water to 80 new villages each year, and help 40,000 people get clean water.

Join me?