How the Death of a 9-Year-Old Changed the World
00:00:00.000 | there's a famous donor story
00:00:02.080 | where there was a nine-year-old girl named Rachel Beckwith,
00:00:04.680 | and she saw me talk.
00:00:05.840 | And at the time, I would ask everyone in the audience
00:00:08.160 | to donate their next birthday to Charity Water.
00:00:11.400 | And Rachel took me seriously at this,
00:00:13.960 | and she donates her ninth birthday,
00:00:15.240 | and she sets a goal of $300,
00:00:18.420 | which was gonna help the time
00:00:19.920 | 10 people get access to water.
00:00:22.260 | And she cancels her birthday party, won't accept gifts,
00:00:25.420 | and she raises $220.
00:00:27.760 | So she falls short in her goal,
00:00:29.600 | and she tells her mom she feels like she's failed,
00:00:31.880 | and she's gonna try harder next year.
00:00:33.300 | And her mom's like, "Hey, I think you're pretty awesome."
00:00:35.200 | Well, right after her birthday, she dies in a car crash.
00:00:37.440 | Her mom was driving, her sister was in the front,
00:00:39.520 | she was smashed in the backseat.
00:00:41.320 | Her pastor had emailed me to let me know,
00:00:44.200 | and he asked me, "Could we reopen her campaign?"
00:00:46.560 | It spreads to the New York Times,
00:00:48.320 | it spreads to the morning shows.
00:00:49.680 | People in Africa start donating $9 in Rachel's name.
00:00:54.040 | She goes from $220 to $1.3 million in donations.