Hello to my beloved friends and family,

As my 25th birthday approaches I have decided to do something a little bit different this year. Instead of making a birthday list filled with gifts I would like to donate my birthday to charity:water.

As you all know, I have never been one who loves the attention that comes with a birthday...but this is a way for me to channel my attention toward a meaningful and impactful cause. With your help I can make this day about the millions of people around the world without water!

Here is some background about the water crisis and why I am asking for your help!

Many of us have no idea what it's like to be thirsty. I mean really, really thirsty. So thirsty that we would drink dirty, brackish water we knew could make us sick because we didn't have any other choice. This is reality for many people around the world.

Every day, about 1,400 children die from diseases caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation. I had heard these kinds of facts before, but my reaction was to think "this problem is so big, I really couldn't put much of a dent in it.”

This isn't true though. With your help, we can absolutely make a difference. There are simple solutions like drilled wells, spring protections and BioSand filters that help provide clean water to communities around the world.

Charity: water manages its organization in such an efficient, transparent way that 100% of money raised to build clean water projects is guaranteed to be spent on those projects. And when the work is done, they'll provide us with GPS coordinates, photos and information about the exact communities we've impacted!

Would you consider participating in my birthday campaign? Any type of support will make a real difference! On average, it takes just $30 to bring clean water to one person. $10,000 will fund the construction of a full water project (such as a well) and bring approximately 300 people clean water.

Please help me make this the best birthday ever and donate to my campaign.

I am eternally grateful to you for making this birthday the most special!

Thank you & lots of love,

Grace