FIRST AND FOREMOST, this has been a difficult year for everyone. Many families are feeling financial strain. Please DO NOT feel any obligation to donate. I thought long and hard about whether I should start a campaign this year. My thinking is that ANY money we raise makes a difference for someone in need, and I didn't want to rob the class of 2026 of the pride and satisfaction of helping others.

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.

We started this fundraising campaign to help charity: water build these types of projects around the world, and we're looking for anyone who can help.

Please donate to our 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.