On October 28, I'm turning 54.

At first, this seemed surreal, even daunting.

But then I found out that millions of people don't live to see their 5th birthday. And why? Because they didn't have access to clean, safe water.

So I'm not scared of turning 54 anymore. In fact, I'm celebrating my birthday like never before.

I'm asking for $54 or (whatever you can do!) from everyone I know - and every penny of the money raised will go directly to fund freshwater wells in developing nations. Even better, every dollar is "proved" when the projects are complete, and photos and GPS coordinates are posted using Google Earth.

My goal is to raise $5,000 by my birthday, October 28. This amount will provide one well providing clean drinking water for 250 people!

I am kicking off this campaign with $500. My family will also commit to eating out less and contributing that cost to this fund through my birthday. It's frightening to see how much I spend monthly on Starbucks and eating out. I think I can do without so much of this to help a community somewhere have clean drinking water!

Please consider helping me. Watch this video because I think it will help you understand why this has captured my attention!

My thanks to each of you who help with this cause!

Norm Potter