On April 21, 2013 I will turn 35. My brother will be turning 32. Yes, we were born on the same day at the same MINUTE (3:38 AM) in the same room.

I've learned that the chances of that are 1 in 525,600.

As you can see by the photo, my brother and I still celebrate our birthday together. We've always gotten the cake, the balloons, and the gifts. But I've decided that for my 35th birthday, I want to do something a little different. I have lived a blessed life surrounded by loved ones, and I have wanted for very little.

However, 90% of the 30,000 deaths that occur every week from unsafe water and unhygienic living conditions are children under five years old. It seems foolish to ask for another book or trinket in the face of that statistic. I had a chance to celebrate thirty more birthdays than that, and so should they.

Every penny of the money raised will go directly to fund clean water projects in developing nations. Even better, charity: water will show us exactly which projects we funded once they've been fully completed (which takes about 18 months). That means we'll be able to see the communities we've helped!

My goal is to raise $1,000 by our birthday, April 21, 2013. Please join me to make my "jade" birthday count!