Good deeds produced amazing results

Readers, you've proven yourselves generous. Many of you who've learned of community organizations and their worthwhile causes via this column and have donated anonymously.
   Others have launched a church, neighborhood or school-wide drive to pitch in. No matter how you've chosen to help out or whether you've donated money or items, collectively you've made a huge difference. But oftentimes you never realize all the good that you've done.
   So here's a quick update on just a few groups who've lately seen firsthand the power of community.
   The Nueces County Community Partners Board just last week was on the receiving end of one of the most overwhelming responses.
   The nonprofit organization, whose mission is to form a partnership between Child Protective Services and the community, launched an ambitious effort to collect 750 Easter baskets for children involved in CPS cases.
   What they got instead was nearly 1,200 baskets.
   "We put our needs out there and the community met it and exceeded it," said Kim Taylor of the Nueces County Community Partners Board. "The effort made all the difference in the world and I think that for many of us, it reminded us that there's more to life than 'I want.'''
   Because of your contributions, the organization was able to help CPS children beyond Corpus Christi. Easter baskets reached children in Alice, Aransas Pass and several other Coastal Bend cities.
   Earlier this year, Half Price Books sponsored a book drive on behalf of the Half Pint Library at Driscoll Children's Hospital. During a ceremony at Driscoll Thursday, bookstore representatives, Smith Elementary fifth-graders and other community dignitaries celebrated the outpouring of community support and presented the hospital with 3,500 books donated for its library.
   The donations enable the Half Pint Library to give each child receiving treatment at the hospital one free book of their choosing to take home. The library also makes books available to patients' siblings and other young visitors to the hospital.
   Inspired generosity
   "Reading a book sparks the imagination and helps take patients' minds off their illnesses or injuries," said Kathleen Hall, director of Driscoll's volunteer services. "Being able to choose a book gives them a sense of control while in the hospital.
   "Because children are encouraged to keep the books they choose, we have an ongoing need for the donation of gently used or new children's books."
   Driscoll continues to accept book donations for its Half Pint Library.
   Especially needed are Spanish-language children's books, Hall said.
   Finally, a handful of Coastal Bend Lions Club members who'll be in Matamoros, Mexico, on April 27-28 conducting a two-day eye screening mission for the needy will do so knowing they have the support of the community back home.
   A recent column about the organization spurred readers to donate as many as 200 pairs of eyeglasses.