Last year, in honor of my 25th birthday, I decided to raise funds for charity:water. I had so much fun that I decided to do it again this year. If memory serves me correctly, I raised $750, which is my goal for this year. Plus, it's a positive slant on the fact that my age is becoming a larger number. Instead of focusing on the fact that I am getting older, I can think of it as being able to raise more money for a good cause (last year I asked for $25 donations and this year I'm asking for $26).

More info, in charity:water's words:

All of my birthdays have always been about stuff. Stuff I don't want, stuff I definitely don't need. And to be honest, I hardly even remember what I got last year.

A billion people in the world are living without clean water - but how much are they really living? Millions contract deadly diseases from contaminated water. 45,000 people will die this week alone. The lucky ones won't, but still walk hours each day to get dirty water to give to their families.

My birthday wish this year is not for more gifts I don't need; it's to give clean and safe drinking water to some of the billion living without it. I want to make my birthday matter this year.

Please join me.

please note: Because of charity: water's unique model, 100% of all donations go directly to direct water projects costs, and each donation is "proved" and tracked to the village it helped when projects are complete.

$20 means one person can get clean water for 20 years.
$250 means two families of six can get clean water.
$5,000 means clean water for a community of 250.