Every year we celebrate the fact that we were born and reward ourselves with all the things we couldn't justify buying the previous 364 days. As much as I like this concept I can't help but think there has to be something more important to do with my money than celebrate me.

I've always been a charitable person at heart, but I'm not really in a place financially to make any kind of difference on my own. So, I'm asking for help from everyone I know and even those I may not know so well. We probably all have TV's and computers and other "toys" that cost more than what it would take to provide a better life for an entire community. I just can't help but to think there's something wrong with that, and it's time we all do something rather than nothing.

So this year, I'm giving my birthday up. I'm turning 27 years old, and instead of asking for gifts, I'm asking for $27 or more from everyone I know. It's not going to me, though. All of it is going to build freshwater projects for people in developing nations.

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 or even ones I do; 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.

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.