Those of us who were old enough to follow the news coverage won’t soon forget the tragic events which took place at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999. 12 students and one teacher were killed, and 23 others were injured before the two students who engineered the massacre took their own lives. It is hard to imagine the devastating impact this had on the survivors and the families of those who lost their lives, including both the families of the innocent victims as well as the perpetrators of the slaughter.The first victim to die at Columbine was Rachel Scott, then 17 years old. Rachel had vowed to be kind to others, particularly those who were disabled or who didn’t “fit in” with the popular crowd. She strove to be a positive influence on those she met.
While sorting through Rachel’s belongings in the months following her death, her parents found her journal. In it she had begun to put forth some ideas she had about starting a “chain reaction of kindness”. She said, in part, “I have this theory that if one person can go out of their way to show compassion, then it will start a chain reaction of the same. People will never know how far a little kindness will go.”
Rachel didn’t have grandiose ambitions. She simply wanted to be kind, one act at a time, to one person at a time, in hopes that kindness would prove to be contagious.
Rachel’s parents decided to make Rachel’s dream come true. They started “Rachel’s Challenge”, an organization which aims to end violence, promote good citizenship, and put in motion Rachel’s “chain reaction of kindness”. Today, Rachel’s Challenge presents programs in schools and communities, fostering the message of positive change.
When Rachel was 13 years old, she traced the outlines of her hands on a piece of paper and wrote these words: "These hands belong to Rachel Joy Scott and will someday touch millions of people's hearts."
If we accept Rachel’s Challenge, we can prove that she was right.
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For more information read this article or go to the Rachel’s Challenge website.
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You can find it here
I'm planning on holding one every Wednesday - I've had fun seeing your creative ideas!
For more information read this article or go to the Rachel’s Challenge website.
Don’t forget to enter this week’s caption contest!
You can find it here
I'm planning on holding one every Wednesday - I've had fun seeing your creative ideas!
Yes we can. How insightful this child was.
ReplyDeleteI love this story. What a beautiful testimony.
ReplyDeleteI feel kind of bad for Rachel because she died at a very young age but at least her dreams came true. I actually had an assembly at my middle school today about Rachel's challenge. The woman who was hosting it was a victim of the shooting. She was shot several times and when she went to the hospital her doctors said they didn't know why she was still alive. Those shots should have killed her. She was very lucky to survive shots like that.
ReplyDeleteRachel's brother's friends were killed also. He was hiding with them under a library table when they were killed right next to him. The last time he saw Rachel was when they were in a fight the morning of the incident. The next time he saw her, she was in a casket. He feels so bad because he wishes he could go back and tell her he loves her so much.
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