Letter 27 - She Was The First One Shot!

Hello Bregdan Women!

You’ve got Ginny today.

I’m writing this letter in 2024.  It’s been 25 years since it happened.

Heartbreakingly, there have been MANY more, but April 20, 1999, was the beginning.

This Bregdan Girl has been changing lives since that day.

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17-year-old Rachel Joy Scott was laughing and eating lunch with a friend on the lawn of her Colorado high school. Life was good. She dreamed of acting and drama, of growing up and changing the world one act of kindness at a time.

She smiled to herself as she remembered what she’d written in her diary – about her belief in kindness – it was one of the pivotal points of her life. She was confident in her big plans for her future, and in the difference she could make through her acting.

She thought about her upcoming summer mission trip to Botswana, and her plans to move into her own apartment at the end of that year.  Her senior year at Columbine High School was almost over.  The future beckoned.

Enjoying the company of her friends, Rachel had no idea it would be a day of terror…

While she was enjoying lunch, two of her fellow students were approaching the campus.  They were both armed.  (I’m deliberately not writing their names – they don’t deserve to be remembered.)

The two had planned the attack for a year.

The two shooters had intended on killing as many of their peers and classmates as possible. Homemade bombs had been planted at the school cafeteria.  They were set to go off when 488 students would have been eating lunch.  The force of the explosion would have collapsed the school ceiling, inflicting even more death. 

 When the bombs failed to detonate, they decided to inflict as much damage as they could with the arsenal of weapons they had amassed.

They started shooting as soon as they found students.

When they approached the school, they encountered Rachel and her friend, Richard Castaldo.

Rachel was the first of 15 people killed in the now infamous shootings at Columbine High School.

Richard was shot seven times.  Though he survived, he is spending the rest of his life in a wheelchair – paralyzed from the waist down.

Rachel died a senseless death, but her legacy will live on forever.

Because she died believing in the world-changing power of kindness. . . the entire world now knows. A school essay she wrote contains this comment. . . “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.” 

Rachel’s family understands her loss will be with them forever. However, they are not suffering in silence, and neither have they let her death be in vain. Having established Friends of Rachel's clubs and Rachel's Challenge, her family regularly speaks to communities across the United States of America about teen suicide, violence, and bullying.

Her brother, Craig, has spoken to more than a million young people, and has no intention of stopping.

Their quest for peace has touched the lives of thousands as many people want to find ways to heal their inner wounds. 

As of today, 30 MILLION students and faculty have signed Rachel’s Challenge.

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Rachel’s Challenge:

It begins with you. We have found that there are many ways one person can be the start of something big, something important, that makes a difference and changes people’s lives. And it’s simple. Give these actions a try – you just might start your own Chain Reaction.

Look for the best in others. Something worthwhile is always there, you only need to be willing to see it. Speak with kindness. It’s a choice – because you can’t always know what someone else is going through or experiencing. Chances are, if someone is being difficult, a little understanding and compassion will open a door. Choose positive influences and role models.

The ideas and inputs you take in shape who you are. Curate your collection wisely. And above all, Dream Big. Anything is possible. Make goals and write them down, to make them real. Believe in yourself, and the power you have to affect your future and those around you. The hardships – and the opportunities – that you’ve been given are part of the journey. Where you go is up to you.

It’s your story. You can be the difference. Will you accept the challenge?

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As a young woman, Rachel had only begun to live, but she lived a life of staggering faith and maturity.  She had a vast desire to make a difference.

Her diaries attest to the fact that she lived her life with her whole heart. Not afraid to be kind and inclusive, Rachel spoke with tenacity and courage regarding her positive outlook on life.

Her killers stole her light from the world.

Unfortunately, they could have had what she knew. . . that the world could be changed by a willingness to practice compassion and kindness.

No one knows exactly what went on in their minds on that fateful day. But one thing remains a lasting testimony to Rachel Joy Scott -- the world now embraces her brief life as a perfect example of compassion and humanity.

Given posthumously, Rachel received the Kindness Award for Student of the Year by the Acts of Kindness Association, and the National Education Association awarded her father and "Rachel’s Challenge" the Friend of Education Award.

No teen should die such a horrific death. Yet those of us who witnessed this tragedy from afar can prevent her death, and other deaths similar to Rachel's from being only tragedies.

We can believe, in Rachel's honor, in the worth of people.

As Bregdan Women, we can reach out a hand of friendship to those around us. We can take time to listen. No one has to live life alone as an outcast if we take up Rachel’s Challenge - to live a life of compassion with one hand on our heart, and the other hand outstretched to the person next to us.

My hope for you today is that you will not just grieve over the senselessness of the world today but that you will glean insight and conviction from Rachel Scott’s life. Be the person to make a difference in your world. Be the one who believes like she did, that one person's actions can create a chain reaction that will change the world.

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What will you do today to impact history??

We’re on this journey with you… (And have 2 FREE gifts for you below!)

Ginny & Suess

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