Posted on 01/05/2005 6:20:33 PM PST by fo0hzy
I searched FR for this and couldn't find anything... apologies in advance if the story has been posted already. The following is an excerpt.
Angel of abandoned babies wins lottery
LOS ANGELES —
All too often, the ring of Debi Faris-Cifelli's cellphone means there is another abandoned newborn at the morgue, another forsaken child for her to name and bury in a shoebox-size coffin under a white cross in the California desert.
Last week, though, Faris-Cifelli — who has had to rely on donations, grants and fund-raisers to give babies a decent burial — got a very different call.
She had won the California lottery.
The jackpot: $27 million.
"Maybe it's the children saying, 'Thank you' for taking care of them when nobody else would," said Faris-Cifelli, who lives in the desert town of Yucaipa east of Los Angeles. "It's a gift and one for which we feel an awesome responsibility."
The money could not come at a better time for Faris-Cifelli and the tiny Garden of Angels cemetery she founded in nearby Calimesa, where she has buried dozens of tiny children whose mothers hadn't heard — or didn't care — about California's safe-haven law.
Props to my mom for pointing this story out to me. I love it when truly deserving people wins large sums of cash.
This is Debi Faris-Cifelli's website.
(Excerpt) Read more at seattletimes.nwsource.com ...
Wow what a reward.
already posted here: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1296460/posts and here:http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1299662/posts.
Sorry - I searched for the most obvious thing (her last name) and got zilch.
God works in mysterious way, His wonders to perform!
Thanks. I didn't see it before.
I've found sometimes when you enter a search term and hit the search button, it will give you no results. Then you hit it again, and it will have 3 or 4 threads. Hit it again, and no results. Odd.
Indeed. They found a boy inside a clothing drop recently :( How I wish these women would just leave the baby somewhere instead of throwing them in the trash like garbage. Babies aren't garbage.
I knew this story was familiar. It was good to read. Reinvigorates faith in people.
I read about her work a couple of years ago. Maybe in the Reader's Digest? Has anyone else here heard of her before she won the lottery?
Oh congratulations to her. I read about her a few years back while waiting for an appointment and I cried when I read all she does. She truly is a saint and deserves all this money. God bless her and the little ones she so tenderly cares for as she prepares them for a burial. Shewill have a special place in heaven for sure.
Thank you for posting; I did not see it before.
Anyway, what wonderful news. I misread the headline at first, and thought, why? But what a great reward for this lady - I'm sure she'll put the money toward that and other worthwhile causes. Plus she can take a little reward for herself.
Ping
Wouldn't the word "jackpot" be a bit more obvious than her last name - which I doubt that anyone knows?
I too hadn't seen this story here before. Thanks for posting it. I like reading good news!
Hopefully she'll no longer have to rely on donations and can use her winnings to grow the work she does.
Nice story. God bless this lady. Even more.
If anyone ever deserved this money, she does. May God continue to bless her.
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