I have to share this story because it meant so much to me and I'm up at 6am still thinking about it
Last month I found out I got a promotion and last Monday was my first day. I'm now basically an outreach librarian (I have a longer fancier title...but basically I go out in the community and promote and provide services... Like so far I learned to drive a 38 ft bus, I packed boxes of vegetables for Foodshare Columbia and made my mom and sister volunteer, I've done story time at a daycare, I've worked at the pop up library at a homeless shelter etc)
Well last week I did career day at a middle school. 600+ kids. Nobody was really interested in the library table (I mean cops, firefighters and a mobile gaming unit was there). So I wasn't exactly shocked. Well I had a couple kids interested in the library and they'd stalk about how they needed the library because they wanted to be a writer (one kid freaked me out with that slender man crap though) and how much the love reading and a few "hey I've seen you at my library !" (Aw)! Anyway I have outreach library cards, and I probably handed out less than 15 to 600+ kids. (The mainly wanted stickers and pencils and our magazine of programs)
Fast forward to last Saturday. My sister shares this story on Facebook about a local family in need. Grandma raising 6 kids, she's on dialysis. One daughter (mom of kids is dead) the other is a drug addict. The kids need clothes and food, they're getting teased at school because they all share the same clothes despite being 6 very different ages and sizes (and after talking to them yesterday it's apparent they all have some form of special need or learning disability
Anyway when I say they have it bad, they literally have it bad and if I wasn't thankful for anything ever in life, meeting them yesterday changed that.
Well after sharing it on Facebook we got cloths and store gift cards donated, but my mom decides she should make thanksgiving dinner for them
So yesterday my mom cooks and we take ham, turkey, macaroni, dressing....literally everything for them and take it over to their house
Well we get there and the grandma is on her way back from dialysis but a neighbor is there to help with the other kids. First they didn't want to put the food up because we'd see the fridge was entirely bare...but they ended up doing it and then we sat and talked to the neighbors/kids in the living room
The 12 year old is one of those rambling kids that tells everyone's business nonchalantly so she matter of factly discussed her dad dying in August. How her mom is on drugs and only comes around to steal. How another grand child stole the grandmoms money while she was in the hospital last month etc. just like sad awful things no kid should have to deal with.
Anyway to divert the subject I asked what grade she was in, and she mentioned her school so I was "oh I did career day last week there, did you come by the library table " and she says no, they didn't get to go to every table because her teacher rushed them
(My younger sister laughed and was like hah nobody wants to work at the library)
Well 10 mins later the grandmom and rest of the kids come home from dialysis and my mom chatting in the kitchen with her and explaining what she brought. One grand kid (7 year old ) is running around hugging my little sister. There's a 30 yo grandson that has to live in a shelter asking me about college credits/tech schools/ taking the SAT as an adult etc so I'm explaining library services and which ones can help him.
Anyway I get up and walk around the corner and one of the kids that hadn't seen me screams "I know you! " and everyone in the room is like huh? So I just say "From the library?!" And she's starts jumping up and down like I'm a real life celebrity and she's like "no,no you came to my school! You gave me a library card! Everyone in my class wanted to look at the papers from the library "
Then she ran up and gave me a hug and told me she'd lost the library card [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23] so I said I'd bring her a new one (also I turned and pointed my finger in my sisters face and yelled "HAH" because that's how sisters treat sisters at any age )
That's all. Long story short. I love my job
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk