Young Crash Victim’s Charity Legacy Inspires Birthday-Gift Campaign
November 3, 2011 | Read Time: 1 minute
Inspired by the outpouring of support for the late Rachel Beckwith’s charity: water campaign, a California man is starting an online effort to encourage children to follow her example, says MSNBC.
The 9th Birthday campaign, launched by David Hissami of San Clemente, asks kids to eschew gifts when they turn 9 and instead request donations to supply clean water to poor people in developing countries, as Rachel did earlier this year. When the Bellevue, Wash., girl died in the car crash weeks after her birthday, donors from around the world gave some $1.26-million to charity: water in her memory.
“I read about the story and it was just one of those things. It really affected me,” said Mr. Hissami, a Web analytics freelancer. “I wanted to do my part as well. I wanted to do something more long-term, to help people remember her.”
Rachel’s family has also started a nonprofit group, Rachel’s Wishing Well Foundation, to promote giving. A family spokesman said the Beckwiths were “very excited and humbled” that strangers were inspired to do the same in her memory.
