Though Rachel Beckwith was just 9 years old when she died, her thirst
for bringing clean drinking water to those in need continues to live
on.
Rachel was taken off life support on Saturday after she sustained
fatal injuries in a 14-vehicle pile up near her home in Bellevue, Wash.
three days earlier, CNN reports. But when her life was cut short, Rachel's determination to save others was resurrected.
While celebrating her birthday in June, Rachel declined presents and asked that friends and family contribute instead to charity: water, a nonprofit that provides safe water to developing nations, her aunt Veronica Del Rosario told CNN.
"She cares about other people more than herself. For her birthday,
she didn't want any presents. She told us not buy her presents. She
wanted everyone to give money so that children and parents could have
water."
Rachel raised $220, just $80 short of her goal.
But then news of the crash spread. Rachel's mother, Samantha Paul,
was traveling on I-90 when a semitrailer jackknifed into a logging
truck, the Seattle Times reports. The logs clogged traffic, causing the pileup. Then, the semi ran into Paul's car.
