French Girl's Letter:
Although I am still a little girl and can't express myself very well I am very happy because of your sympathy for the misfortunes which have come to the fatherless children. Dear Benefactress, Mamma and I both send you our sincere thanks for helping her to bring me up. You do not know dear lady how said I was when my poor papa died. He was such a good workman before this cruel war. He worked in pottery. When war was declared papa had to leave on the second of August to defend our country with a sad heart at leaving us. On the twelfth of August the ferocious enemy invaded our town, killed and burned eighty-five of our houses and took all that was in them and killed four or five families. We stayed three days in our cellars during the fight without eating. Then two days later we were taken prisoners. Everyone in town was expecting the whole day long to be shot. They kept telling us that our French government were assassins that we had brought on the war and that we ought to be satisified. fourtuantely a good kind lady like yourself gave them one hundred thousand francs to save our lives. We were then shut up in a courtyard of her castle...Then the enemy were driven back to Sarrelbourg after a few days. But soon after they came again and we had to flee without being able to carry anything away, no clothes, no furniture, we had to leave our good beds and walk for two weeks through shrapnel and shells, to sleep in the open or in the lofts in all kinds of weather just like our poor soldiers until we reached a place where they took care of poor refugees like ourselves...
Then another low was the death of my father who was shot through the heart one night in the trenches. Now I am fatherless with two sisters but mama and my sisters ask of God only courage to bear out troubles. We wear our mourning with pride that papa died for his country and in doing his duty as a Frenchman.
This girl's family and many others were saved because a woman offered money to the German soldiers. Imagin that you have just inherited one million dollars from a great uncle who specified in his will that you should use this money to further humanitarian causes throughout the world and especially in war-torn courntries. Research at least two different situations or charities in the world today to which you could distribute this money to help children in wart-torn coutnries.
Post on the comments what you will do with your money.
Remember NO LAST NAMES!! You will get credit for this if you post by Dec. 18th.