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Aug 17, 2011

"I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something I can do." --Edward Everett Hale

Her Heart Was Bigger Than This Room

It is a tragic story, but one that touches and inspires. For her 9th birthday, instead of getting presents for her, Rachel Beckwith asked loved ones to donate to charity:water, a nonprofit bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations. Her goal was $300, enough to give 15 children access to clean water, but she only got to $220. A month later, tragedy struck, when her family's car was involved in her 13-car traffic accident. Rachel was critically injured. That's when word spread, and contributions started pouring in. Most of them in $9 increments, the totals kept increasing, but unfortunately, Rachel passed on. The contributions kept flowing in, though, with over a million dollars donated. "Her heart was bigger than this room. She always gave whatever she had and would continue to give more," her father said.