This year, as I turn 18, I'm celebrating my birthday differently. While procrastinating during college application season, I discovered charity: water's birthday campaign. After watching a few videos and reading about the foundation, I realized that I couldn't think of any gifts that I truly needed all-that-badly. So on this June 12th, instead of presents, I want clean water.

Families around the world walk hours every day to collect water for their families. And the worst part? The water they collect can make them really sick. However, just $65 can give a person clean water to drink.

I’m asking friends and family to donate my age in dollars (or whatever amount they choose), and my goal is to raise $650 in total (enough clean water for at least a couple of families). Water is one of our most-basic necessities, yet nearly one billion do not have access to safe sources. I am happy to say that charity: water is one of the wonderful non-profit organizations bringing clean water to developing countries, with excellent transparency and efficiency ratings.

The best part is that 100% of the money we raise will directly fund water projects around the world, and when those projects are complete, charity: water will send us photos and GPS coordinates so we can see the impact we made.

I can't think of a better birthday gift. If you would like, watch the video below for more information, and please donate to my campaign!