May 8, 2009 8:26 pm US/Eastern
South Florida Girl Raises Funds To Help Haiti
LIGHTHOUSE POINT (CBS4) ―
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A child stands in the mud and rubble of his house in the devastated city of Gonaives some 124 miles north of Port Au Prince on Sept. 9, 2008. The city was stricken by a series of storms and is struggling to recover.
Yuri Cortez/AFP/Getty Images
A South Florida girl is changing the lives of families who need a place to live.
The 9-year-old has already begun to raise the thousands of dollars to help other children who can't help themselves.
"The houses in Haiti are probably half the size of this," said Rachel Wheeler, as she walked down her own block in Lighthouse Point with CBS4's Jorge Estevez. "I am trying to build houses for the poor."
Wheeler who is on a mission to rebuild lives which is a challenge for most established organizations, let alone a 9-year-old from Broward County.
"This is the kind of house you build. This is the kind of house that costs $2,600 dollars," said Wheeler as she held up a model home which resembles the ones built in Haiti.
Wheeler plans to build 13 homes for families in Haiti who now live in unimaginable conditions. She has already raised enough money to build one house. She is working with Food For The Poor, a nonprofit which replaces shacks to build sturdy safe homes. The difference is amazing for families.
"Receiving a new home for them is like heaven. I think that is the most beautiful thing to describe it," said Jennifer Oats who works for Food For The Poor. Wheeler got inspired after learning that in Haiti some children eat mud pies to curb their hunger. "I cried and I thought that we need to change that," said Wheeler.
"I think it is extraordinary that a 9-year-old takes it too heart like this," said Julie Wheeler, Rachel's mom.
Julie Wheeler is proud of her daughter who makes everyone realize no matter what happens -- everyone needs to be thankful.
"Some of the poor people in Haiti don't have anything and I really want to stop that," said Rachel Wheeler. So far, Rachel Wheeler has raised $4,500. If you want to help you can
click here.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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