As my 16th birthday approached, I really wanted this birthday to be special. Not just to be a fun day of a bunch of us hanging out together goofing around. Not just one day that will be forgotten as the tans of summer fade, but a birthday that can truly make an impact on the world.

Around the world, millions of kids don't get to even reach their 5th birthday because of water-related diseases. We are so blessed to live in a community where we don't have to worry about walking 10 miles a day to gather contaminated water, but a lot of kids do have to do that, and it makes me sad.

Earlier this year I ran a half marathon for clean water and later I wrote my academic decathlon speech all about the cause, so this past year I have learned a lot about the need for clean water around the world. While writing the decathlon speech, I found charity:water, an organization that runs water projects such as drilling deep water wells to bring clean water close to villages around the world and it seemed like a really cool thing. Thousands of people have done what I am doing for them, asking for donations on their birthday, one dollar for every year of their life, to go towards clean water in lieu of presents. I was amazed at how there are little kids, people turning 5 or 6 years old, who are are asking their friends and family for 5 or 6 dollars to go towards the cause. (I know that all I cared about on my 5th birthday was that I got that perfect barbie doll.) Selfless kids like that really inspired me to do the same.

I hope that you will join me this birthday and donate $16 to the campaign instead of giving me birthday presents that I don't really need. Then on the day of the party we can be thankful for the clean water we have here in Upland by enjoying a water slide together knowing that we have changed the lives of families around the world.