Hey everyone! To update you on my campaign, I have changed my birthday campaign to a Thanksgiving campaign and now to a Christmas/New Year campaign! There was no way for me to change the number of days of the campaign, so I have until the end of the year to campaign for this charity. Please read my below statement on my original birthday campaign. And as we enter the Holiday season, consider how you may share your resources and your blessings to others who could really use it. Let's challenge ourselves and think about what the holiday season is all about!

My original birthday campaign:

Dear friends and family,

As some of you know, over the past several years, I've been involved with organizations that help bring clean water systems to rural tribes in Southeast Asia. Over these years, I've learned how precious this resource truly is for people who do not easy access to it.

As many of you do not know, it's my birthday in a week or so. 10/21 to be exact. I really dislike advertising my birthday mostly because I don't want to draw attention to myself. However, several months ago, I was listening to a podcast called "The Liturgists" and the hosts were discussing the topic of "suffering," and how we cope and deal with it. The 1st part of the podcast dealt suffering on a global scale and used the example of people around the world who were suffering from the lack of clean, life-giving, water. It broke me down hearing stories of people who cannot get enough water for themselves and their family. As I listened to the podcast, I was in tears upon hearing stories of others suffering from the lack of water. I was lamenting for the world because I felt the pain of others and at the same time, feeling unworthy of my blessings that I take for granted on the daily basis.

Fortunately, there was a positive side to the podcast. At the end of the podcast, they promoted an organization called charity:water who's simple, basic, goal is to bring water to people who have none. More importantly, 100% of proceeds go toward their projects around the world. I've seen firsthand what access to clean water does for others. Not only is it needed for life and health, but access to clean water keeps families and villages together, brings economic and social opportunities to people, and sets up future generations of families to grow and prosper.

And so this year, I'm "donating" my birthday for charity:water. I know most of you reading this weren't necessarily planning on giving me a gift, but I'm asking for your support on my birthday. My goal is to raise money by using my birthday as an excuse, haha. (Kidding, but not really). I think I have enough friends who like me just enough to join me on my special day and to give to others who have less than we do.

And even if you can't give to me on my birthday, perhaps this will inspire you to consider donating your birthday to charity:water. At the very least, I want to bring awareness to their cause and their mission. If Michael Gungor from the band Gungor thinks it's a good organization, then it's gotta be right?? He's just the right kind of Christian, hipster, millenial, musician, to trust these days! In all seriousness, water is a precious resource and if we take care of our world, use the resource wisely and responsibly, and help give back to others who aren't in a position to always have water, there will be enough to go around. Thanks for reading my short campaign paragraph and please read about charity:water down BELOW:

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!

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.

Please donate to my campaign -- anything you can give is a huge help.

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.