It soon will be my birthday and there is no better time to reflect on my blessings. When I think about it, all I can feel is grateful. I have no idea what it's like to be thirsty. My family has plenty of water to drink -- even the water in our toilets is clean! You probably find yourself in a similarly fortuitous situation.

But many people around the world don’t have that luxury. Every day, about 1,400 children die from diseases caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation. But it doesn’t have to be that way. There are simple solutions like drilled wells, spring protections and BioSand filters that help provide clean water to communities around the world.

I started this fundraising campaign to help charity: water build these types of projects around the world, and I'm looking for anyone who can help me.

In lieu of birthday presents this year, I'm asking my family and friends who usually generously give me gifts, to instead donate to my campaign -- any donation no matter the amount will make a difference. And to those with whom I don't usually exchange gifts, you are absolutely invited to join in on the fun too. My goal is to reach $330, $10 for every year of life I've been blessed with, and enough funding to secure clean water for 11 people.

100% of the money will be used to build clean water projects, and when they’re complete, charity: water will send us photos and GPS coordinates so we can see the exact community we helped.