Rachel Beckwith's 9th Birthday party wish. Rachel's family attends Eastlake Community Church (ECC) of Bothell, Washington. The pastor, Ryan Meeks, was promoting raising funds for an organization called "Charity Water" (charitywater.org) to drill water wells for communities in Africa who had disease from unsanitary water retrieved from ditches and ponds. Rachel's birthday was coming up and rather than receiving gifts for herself she requested people donate to Charity Water. She raised $220 before she was killed in a car accident near Seattle, Washington. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7upq4ZpO1CY&feature=related (8/11/11)
Her request was noticed on the web and within months raised over a million dollars which Charity Water used over the next year to drill over 140 water wells. This is the "Making a Difference" presentation August 14, 2012 by Brian Williams of NBC news covering the story. http://youtu.be/X7CSrM8U6X8
Included in the video are visits with Rachel's Mom to well sites and the communities in Africa celebrating both the successful wells and Rachael whose wish and death inspired the funds making the wells possible.
Eastlake Church sends 100% of all funds raised for water to Charity Water. Each well costs about $10,000. Go to Charitywater.org to set up your personal fund raiser. Give your next birthday for clean water for the poor via Charity Water.
