I arrived early, a bit apprehensive about what my duties might entail. Although I’d been a member of the Assistance League of San Pedro/South Bay for several years, I’d never worked on Operation School Bell.
Like me, most of the children had been uneasy upon arrival, not knowing where they were going or what they’d be asked to do. However, they all left with bright smiles on their faces. For many, the highlight of the visit came at the end. On their way out the door, each child received a brand-new age appropriate book.
As I handed a book to a departing second-grader, she looked up at me and asked, “When do I have to bring it back?” I assured her it was hers to keep. Again she looked up at me, this time with eyes big as saucers as she exclaimed, “I’ve never had a brand-new book before.”
In that instant I knew why I donated my time to this wonderful organization. Tears of gratitude puddled in my eyes as I thought of the stacks of books in my granddaughter’s bedroom, each one read and reread dozens of times, but all of them taken for granted. Trips to the bookstore were a treat for her but never the momentous occasion I had just witnessed.
I learned a valuable lesson that day. Wealth isn’t measured in dollars. It’s in the ability to bring a moment of happiness to a child in need.
