Hardly a Self-Aborbed Child

Rachel’s Last Fund-Raiser Kristof@NYTimes

Rachel Beckwith’s fund-raiser for charity:water has received donations from all over the world.Getting money out of people in today’s world is an understandable challenge. But Rachel Beckwith was sensitive to the world’s poor from an early age and committed to making a difference. Her first gesture at age 5 was to donate her hair to Locks of Love, one that she repeated.

Then when she was 8 years old, her church began raising money to build wells in Africa through an organization called charity:water. Rachel was aghast when she learned that other children had no clean water, so she asked to skip having a ninth birthday party. In lieu of presents, she asked her friends to donate $9 each to charity:water for water projects in Africa.

Rachel’s ninth birthday was on June 12, and she had set up a birthday page on the charity:water Web site with a target of $300. Alas, Rachel was able to raise only $220 — which had left her just a bit disappointed.

On July 20 Rachel was part of a massive 13-car pileup near her home in Seattle. A devastated community watched Rachel fight for her life. As she clung unconscious to life, her mother told her that she had exceeded Justin Bieber’s $47,544.

Shortly after, Rachel’s parents gave permission for the plug to be pulled on this true angel’s life. Her hair went for the third time to Locks of Love. As of this moment, Rachel has raised $981,519 for charity:water and her mom is planning a trip on the anniversary of Rachel’s death to Africa to see her wells.

“It’ll be overwhelming to see Rachel’s wells,” she said, “to see what my 9-year-old daughter has done for people all over the world, to meet the people she has touched.”

What an inspiring story, while the grownups try to tear down our world! Does it really matter what religion Rachel practiced? Surely no benevolent God will turn her away from her future destiny. It would be an absurd idea — and this is the threat to adult ideologues who wage endless wars — and who seek wars to advance religious beliefs. Anne

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