Hi guys, it's me again.

You may know me as Michelle, Cardboard Shell, or maybe just "that person who's turning 30 on September 15th."

Yeah, you heard that right. I'm going to be 30. Like right now, basically.

If you know me well, you know I suck at having birthdays. I'm impossible to shop for because there's no thing I want. If I need something, I've probably bought it for myself. Because I'm a grown-ass woman, and that's what grown-ass women do.

Oh, and that wasn't a typo up there. I really meant to say "there's no thing that I want." No one-item that I really desire. But there IS something I want...

I want to help people. The millions of women and children who walk miles just to fill their 5 gallon jerrycans with water for their families. Most of this water is contaminated, and causes life threatening diseases, but it's all they have.

And let me lay this down for you. 5 gallons is 40 pounds. And jerrycans are awkwardly shaped, awful things to carry -- especially when they weigh 40+ lbs. I've tried it. For one mile. And it was hell.

So my goal for my 30th birthday, is to raise enough money to help 30 people gain access to clean water for life. That's one person for every year I've celebrated my triumphant escape from my mother's vagina.

So celebrate with me, help a person live a new and different life, and show me that you're glad I was born. Because admit it, you are.

Will you throw in a dollar for each year I've somehow managed to keep myself alive? If you can't afford $30 right now, just remember that every dollar helps. (Helps save lives AND helps me have a happy birthday. That's a 2 fer.)

Thanks for reading.
_______________

-------------------------

Because of charity: water's unique model, 100% of all donations go directly to water projects, and each donation is "proved" when projects are complete.