On January 22, 2014, I'll be turning 21 in New York City! It's a big moment for me, and I'm thankful for the support of my dear friends and family for helping me get to where I am.

This year, rather than asking for gifts, I'm celebrating my birthday by fundraising for a charity I found out about in March of last year. I'll soon be enjoying my first legal drink, yet to this day, 800 million people around the world lack access to clean drinking water. People in these communities travel around 3 hours a day to get to a water source, which is often contaminated and can be a source of diseases.

Charity: water was founded in 2006 to combat the water crisis, and has since funded projects for 3.5 million people to get clean water. I was particularly inspired by the steps they take toward financial transparency. By raising its operating costs through private donors, charity: water ensures that 100% of public donations go directly to funding water projects. After a fundraiser is finished, donors can see where the money gets sent in about 3 months and see photos tagged with GPS coordinates of the completed project in around 18 months.

If you have questions about charity: water, I'd highly recommend you check out the following links or just poke around the site:
Project overview, especially the FAQ section if you scroll down: http://www.charitywater.org/donate/sponsor-a-project
Media section at the bottom of this page, particularly the New York Times and Wired articles: http://www.charitywater.org/about/
Financials and rating from Charity Navigator: http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=12548#.UtNcz_RDuN1

Please feel free to give however much you want; for a suggestion, you could consider giving in multiples of $21, up to $210. I'd be delighted to have you join my birthday campaign!

-Brian