I wanted to share some goodness and light in relationship to the sad news that has come out of West, Texas in the past weeks.  The tragedy and loss of life and homes has been felt through the nation, and right here in our hometown. The following are some emails that my son's kindergarten teacher sent home to all of the parents about a project their class was involved in bringing about.  I loved the simple answer of giving children ice cream, and I love that his teacher went above and beyond and and that Blue Bell stepped up to help too!

Dear Parents, 

I am writing to tell you how proud I am of your child.  Students were stirred in our discussion this week on our Ib attitude, empathy, and today they moved to action in a powerful way.  Today we discussed how we could help families who lost homes in West.  In our discussion students came up with the idea that will, in their minds "make everything better", ice cream!  Students agreed that ice cream would put a smile on a friends face even when they might be sad that all their toys were gone.  I was brought to tears and moved to see them so excited about helping put a smile on a child's face that very well could have lost a home or a family member in Wednesday's tragic events.  So your children got to work making cards and I agreed for each card they created I would put a dollar bill inside for a child to buy an ice cream when they return to school.  This simple act has touched my heart and I know will touch the hearts of many. Your children are world changers.  

Sincerely, 

Miss S.

Ps. This afternoon I shared this story with my mom (who is an elementary librarian in Hewitt, TX) and she shared with her campus.  Currently, their entire campus is also working on cards with a dollar inside for ice cream for students in West.  The ripple effect of your children's thoughts and hearts is moving all the way to Waco and has motivated other students to action! 

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April 25th, 2013:

Dear Parents!

I am so excited to inform you that Blue Bell Ice Cream is donating an ice cream to each and every West ISD student and staff (and Connally ISD campuses that are hosting students on their campuses) this Friday! Blue Bell will not only be serving the students of West a special treat, but they will also be making a dream into reality for our 21 kindergarteners who just wanted to "make it better" for the kids in West.  This should bring a smile to many faces that have had a very difficult week. Please join me by posting a message and thanking Blue Bell for making this happen.  

Sincerely, 

Miss S.

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Dear Parents, 

Friday I traveled to West Elementary to meet Mr. Hengst from Blue Bell Ice Cream.  While at West Elementary we passed out over 850 Blue Bell ice cream treats to students and staff.   The smiles that came from the students faces when we handed them ice cream treats were priceless.  The staff told us that it had been very solemn the past week and this was the first time they had seen smiles from students.  I even had one student tell me that this was the best day ever; lots of hugs were given.  While there we were able to talk to many members of the staff who had been greatly affected by this tragedy.   Even though they were dealing with damage to their homes and even loss of friends and family members, they were there for their students to provide stability during this time.  I was able to tell your children's story to the teachers of West Elementary and they agreed that ice cream would make it better even if just for a little while for students and teachers.  They asked me to send their thanks and to give a special hug to students in my class who brought such a wonderful idea to life.  

 
The ice cream did not stop there.  Blue Bell delivered 910 ice cream treats to West Junior High school students and 550 ice cream treats to West High School students.  They also generously gave students at Connally High School and Intermediate School ice cream for hosting West students at their campus due to West's schools damage.  

After handing out ice cream treats at the school we profusely thanked Mr. Hengst from Blue Bell and went on to volunteer with my hometown church that is in charge of volunteer efforts at the West Community Center.  When we arrived there Friday afternoon we were told that Blue Bell had delivered a large ice freezer (the size of the coolers at school) with hundreds of ice cream treats in them for residence and volunteers in West.  They also were told that Blue Bell would be refilling the freezer every three to four days.  Friday through Monday I worked with individuals who had lost their homes and were in the community center to get a broom, mask, or work gloves.  Even if these hurting people were hesitant about taking supplies (I heard over and over that they wanted to leave items for other people who might need them), they would all take me up on a visit to the Blue Bell ice cream freezer for a treat.  A seven year old came in on Saturday who had  just been released from the hospital.  His face was full of scratches and stitches; he was very hesitant to move more than a few inches away from his family member.  He did not want a teddy bear or even to pet the service dog, but when offered an ice cream, he gave me a little smile and picked out an ice cream.  

This idea that your little ones had in class that day has touched thousands of lives and has spread a little bit of joy to so many places of hurting.  I cannot express how proud I am of your children and the magnitude that just one little idea had on a community.  Thank you so much for allowing me to share this story with you and for understanding my absence from your children on Friday as I served and gave to the students and staff of West.  

Sincerely, 

Miss S.