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| December 27, 2006 |
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| Family of Utah Tsunami Victim Helps Build School in Thailand |
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - December 27, 2006. December 26 marked the two year anniversary of one of the worst natural disasters in history. The 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that slammed into Indonesia rocked the world and hit much too close to home for one Utah family.
Salt Lake's Kali Breisch was one of the nearly 220,000 people who died in the catastrophe, but her family is keeping her memory alive.
The Breisch family just returned from Thailand. They spent three weeks overseeing the construction of an elementary school, built in honor of the daughter and sister they love. With this donation they say Kali's legacy will live on.
"Our family is one of the luckiest families you're ever going to meet. The majority of people where we were were killed in the tsunami. We came home with four out of five of us alive," said Stuart Breisch, Kali's father.
15-year-old Kali was swept away by the 30 foot waves.
Stuart Breisch adds, "We miss her terribly, Christmas was very hard, she loved Christmas."
"Our family has had a lot of emotional challenges. Everyone in our family has struggled putting life back together," says Kali's step-mother, Sally Breisch.
The Breischs have struggled not only to put life back together, but to turn this tragedy into something valuable. They created 4 Kali, a foundation that provides relief to tsunami victims and others suffering around the world. Currently, the organization is building an elementary school in Thailand and a home for three orphans living in the most deplorable of conditions.
Stuart explains, "When you're that lucky to survive, you have to do something to give back you can't just walk away from it."
And the love given to strangers half a world away has a name, for the Breischs, it's Kali. "It's hard for me. Kali would open her big brown eyes in amazement and she would say it's awesome what you're doing," Sally concludes tearfully.
Partnering with many other survivors and people who want to help, the 4 Kali Foundation has raised close to one-million-dollars. The money to build the elementary school, which is scheduled to open in March, was donated by supermodel Petra Nemcova - who lost her fiancé in the tsunami.
Kali's brother Jai, who is almost 19 years old teaches guitar. Kali's sister Shonti, age 20, is attending Westminster College on scholarship for all of her volunteer work in Indonesia. In fact, she is there now, celebrating the New Year.
The 4 Kali Foundation is branching out to include aid to others around the world that need it, in addition to tsunami victims. For more information and how to donate, go to www.4kali.org.
Source: Angie Larsen, ABC4 |
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