Hi,

As some of you know, I'm going to be climbing Mt. Rainier in mid-September...all 14,411 feet of it. Frankly, I'm not a good climber, I hate the cold, and this possibly takes the cake in a long line of poor decisions (see: marathons).

It's going to be extremely challenging just to get into shape to climb this beast, but I'm determined to do this to help raise money for an outstanding charity called Charity:Water. It's a New York City-based charity that helps provide access to clean drinking water in third world countries. 100% of public donations to the group goes into funding water projects around the globe!

Why water? Two facts: (1) Diseases from unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war. (2) 90% of the 30,000 deaths that occur every week from unsafe water and unhygienic living conditions are of children under five years old.

I would appreciate your support in helping me to reach my goal of raising $14,411 to fund a water project. The donation page is up as of today, and I can't think of a better time to reach out given that its World Water Day.

Also, if you have any words of wisdom about climbing, email me! Training began last week. It's going to be a long six months.

cheers,
O