The world is a mess and I am overweight.

Got your attention yet? :)

I have had it pretty good in life while others are sick, starving, poor, destitute. There are so many people that need help. There are so many needs, so many good causes.

I don't want to sit by and just do nothing, so I picked one cause I think everyone can agree on. I'm working to give people something they absolutely cannot do without - the most basic of health needs.

I'm working to give people clean drinking water.

I am also working towards losing the title of being morbidly obese. I do not expect you to give up your hard earned money simply because I am asking for it. I am willing and prepared to work and sweat for it. My hope is to inspire and in doing so, inspire you to open your hearts and your wallets. :)

At my heaviest I weighed 350 pounds. Today I weigh 297 and have so much more to lose. Providing full disclosure about my weight is not easy to do but it is definitely a small price to pay for what I hope will turn into an amazing experience. Knowing that I will be exercising every day for the next 90 days in an effort to raise money for a great cause is something I'm very, very thrilled about! Please remember to check back for updates on my progress!

More than a billion people don't have access to safe drinking water. I don't mean that their pipes don't work; I mean that they have to walk hours each day to collect dirty water from stagnant ponds and muddy rivers. And the crazy thing is that for so many people, like for us here, clean water runs in lakes under their homes and village. But they don't have the drilling equipment or the money to reach it.

Just $5,000 builds a well to serve a community of 250 people. My goal is to raise $5,000 towards a well in the next three months. It is going to take a lot longer to lose the 100+ pounds I still need to lose, but I will continue to work hard to raise money until my goal weight is reached.

There's a lot of need in the world. I'm starting here. I have a pretty water bottle and a nifty water cooler that provides the 150 ounces of clean water that I drink per day. It would be really easy to take clean and easily accessible water for granted but I am choosing not to.

I know financial times are difficult, but every dollar counts. Take the money you would spend going out to dinner or the movies this weekend, take the money you would spend on your next video game, pair of shoes, or on going to the club/bar, take the few dollars you would spend on tomorrows frappuccino and give it up to a good cause.

I can lose this weight without your money - but I need your help to give men, women and children around the world an element we often take for granted: WATER. Clean. Drinking. Water.

Will you please join me?