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BAYTOWN, TX — “I told her. Obviously not in person, but I told her. Sister, this is going to be way bigger than you imagined. I’ll make sure of that. It’s going to be way bigger than she imagined because she touched so many people while she was here.”

Yessenia Morales is talking about her twin sister Vanessa. The 25-year old’s life was cut short in a tragic car accident in Alabama on Independence Day, just eight days before her birthday.

Morales says, “Vanessa is a free spirit. You know even her name meant butterfly.”

Vanessa’s free spirit can be seen in the website she set up through the organization “One Day’s Wages.” Instead of receiving birthday presents, she asked friends and family to donate money to a cause she believed in: helping provide education assistance in Guatemala through the organization “Long Way Home.”

Morales says, “She always just wanted to help people and she’s doing that. She’s still doing that and she’s going to continue to do that.”

Vanessa targeted raising 500 dollars but the word is out and the dollars have started rolling in with more than $2,000 and still more coming

Alvaro Marquez, a family friend, says, “First of all, I’ve never been one to give to charity or anything like that but since I found about her wish, it really impacted me. I told her sister ever since it happened that’s all I’ve though about is the charity. I want to do more just because of her.”

Marquez donated $150 to hlep make Vanessa’s birthday wish come true.

Morales says, “And a whole school is going to be built because of her, and all she wanted was at least supplies for the students. That’s all she wanted. She’s not physically here anymore, but she still amazes me and she will always keep amazing me.”

Gone too soon, Vanessa leaves a legacy of giving.

To help give to Vanessa’s birthday for a cause visit: http://www.onedayswages.org/birthday/cause/vanessa-morales