The What

My 30th birthday is September 12. As part of reaching this milestone, I hope to raise $3,000 to donate to the Community Christmas program of the United Way of Sandusky County. Community Christmas provides food, gifts, clothes and other items to individuals in need of aid during the Christmas season.

The name $3K for 30 name is the combination of this fundraising goal and my birthday.

The Who

In 2011, the Sandusky County United Way received nearly 1,100 applications from over 3,600 individuals asking for aid through the Community Christmas program. The organization expects to receive a similar number of requests this year.

The Why

On December 24, 2011, I read a collection of letters addressed to Santa Claus from elementary school children in a newspaper. Some of my favorite requests are below:

1. Dear Santa – For Christmas, I would like you to give my whole family and my friends and people I don’t know whatever they want.

2. Dear Santa – For Christmas, I would like to help other people. I want to give my brother a little pool because he has been nice this year.

3. Dear Santa – For Christmas, I would like a giant stuffed Cheetah, some more dinosaurs, some earrings, a little stuffed Cheetah, some more books, some more movies, some Cheetah toys and some peace pictures.

Since 2005, I have participated in Christmas gift-giving programs for various charities depending on my location. In New York, I donated gifts through New York Cares. In Cleveland, I gave through the Cleveland Betterment Foundation and the Community Christmas Program. Last year, however, as I leafed through the requests for iPads and PlayStation 3s in the newspaper, I decided that I wanted to offer something more for my hometown of Fremont, Ohio this Christmas.

Making the decision to support this cause was easy. I kept the newspaper with the Dear Santa letters in my apartment since reading them last Christmas Eve as a reminder of my goal. When this fundraiser succeeds by bringing a smile to at least one face this Christmas, our efforts will be rewarded.

As I face the prospect of turning 30, I hope that I remember this birthday fondly, filled with pride for having accomplished this goal with the support of family and friends.

Thank you for helping me celebrate my 30th birthday.