This year I have decided that, instead of receiving presents for my birthday, I wanted to make it more meaningful and donate to a charity of my choice. I've chosen Charity: Water.

Created in 2006 by Scott Harrison, Charity: Water is a non-profit organization that provides clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations. So far, the organization has helped fund 19,819 projects in 24 countries, benefiting over 6.1 million people, and those numbers continue to increase as more people pledge their birthdays to help others gain access to clean water.

I've realized that, while there are items that I would love to have, none of them are items that I really need. I already have a roof over my head, a bed to sleep on, food in my kitchen, and clean water at the touch of a finger. I am not truly in need of anything.

However, many of us have no idea what it's like to be thirsty. We have plenty of water to drink -- even the water in our toilets is clean! Yet 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.

June 23rd is my 18th birthday, and I've decided to make something of it. You can choose to donate any dollar amount you choose to my personal Charity: Water page, as any amount helps! I've selected $500 as a fundraising goal, but surpassing that number would be amazing.

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.

Thank you in advance, and please keep in mind that no matter the amount you choose to give, somebody out there is thanking you for it.