I've been passionate about water security since I was 12. I fundraised, donated, and would talk to anyone who would listen. My annual birthday campaign was a highlight of my year. In March 2020, I couldn't find myself able to justify asking for donations as the world was reckoning with the start of Covid. I struggled with guilt at abandoning my cause. As this pandemic has grown and lasted, I've learned more and more about how providing sustainable clean water is a key part of stopping the virus. Clean water is essential for basic healthcare. If we want to truly stop this virus, we have to make an effort to help not just our own, but the whole world.

I am lucky. I have access to clean food and water. I have stable and safe housing. I live a short drive from an internationally renowned hospital. These are facts that I don't have to think about regularly. While I feel afraid of the anti-vaxers in the US, I am even more afraid for the people who don't have access to any healthcare, much less the vaccine. The disparate life experiences make providing access to clean water even more important. Everyone should have the right to be healthy.

2020 was the year that I grappled with anger. I felt hopeless and desperate about the inequalities in our world. I learned more about racism, income inequality, global warming. My previous passions for making change were shattered as I threw myself into meaningful research. I felt helpless that I could never do enough. I felt rage that so many people didn't care or refused to care. I felt isolated from people who said they loved me and not good enough for the people I loved. It was dark. 2021 is the year that I am desperately looking for hope. I'm fostering my sense of an active global citizen who will not be defeated in the face of indifference. Bringing back my birthday campaign is one of the first big steps I am taking to remind myself of the good and the love in the world.

Please consider donating to my campaign. This is truly a case of every penny helps. 10 people giving $5 is more meaningful to me than 1 person giving $50. This year, my campaign isn't just about the money. It's about rebuilding a better, loving, global normal.

100% of the money will be used to build clean water projects. All administrative costs are covered by specific donors. Charity: Water focuses on accountability and transparency. Their site has access to specific information and sustainable tracking of every well they build. These projects aren't about a one time change. It's about building a sustainable global community.

Please join me. We could all use a drop of hope this year.