Rachel Beckwith Nine-year-old American girl known for her charity work Date of Birth: 12.06.2002 Country: USA

Biography of Rachel Beckwith

Rachel Beckwith was born on June 12, 2002, in Seattle, Washington. From a young age, she was known for her generosity and charitable nature. At the age of nine, Rachel decided to forgo birthday presents and instead asked her family and friends to donate $9 each to the non-profit organization 'charity: water'. Having heard about the organization at her church, Rachel wanted to help provide clean drinking water to those in need.

In the month following her birthday, Rachel was able to raise $220. She promised her mom that she would try to raise even more money the following year. Rachel was a fan of Taylor Swift's music and secretly admired Justin Bieber, but she never revealed her fandom. She had a loving family and a heart that wanted to solve all the world's problems that she knew about.

One day, while attending church with her family, Rachel heard Scott Harrison, the founder of 'charity: water', talk about how children in Africa were lacking access to clean water. Immediately, Rachel decided to take action.

Sadly, on July 20, 2011, Rachel was involved in a tragic car accident on the I-90 highway near Seattle. Thirteen cars were involved, and a trailer crashed into the back of Rachel's car, causing serious injuries. While her mother and sister suffered minor injuries, Rachel was the most severely injured. She was rushed to the hospital but, unfortunately, the doctors were unable to save her and made the difficult decision to disconnect her from life support on July 23.

Following Rachel's passing, the pastor from Rachel's church re-launched the donation page that Rachel had created on a social networking site with her mother. News of what had happened to the young girl and her birthday wish spread rapidly. Something extraordinary happened - donations began pouring in from all over the world. Some people contributed $9, while others donated $19 or even more. By August 12, 2011, the amount raised in Rachel's memory had surpassed one million dollars. When the campaign ended on October 1, 2011, a total of $1,271,713 had been raised by 31,980 individuals from different countries.

All the funds raised during the campaign were transferred to 'charity: water' partners in the Tigray province of Ethiopia. They used the money to construct wells and provide clean drinking water to the local population. The workers and volunteers at 'charity: water' were amazed and inspired by the generosity of strangers who had been touched by Rachel's story.

Rachel's mother, Samantha Beckwith, continues to raise funds for charitable causes in memory of her daughter. Rachel's initial goal was to help 15 people, but her efforts ended up saving the lives of approximately 60,000 individuals.