Two events back to back for Dia de los Niños was exhausting but fun. What an experience! Not because of me, but because of the volunteers I saw making it all possible. Both at the Edgewood Fine Arts Academy and the next day at the San Jose Mission event, young students from the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) and some from the local high schools were all over the place, busy as bees, energetic, smiling, ready to help in any way. They put up tents, carried chairs, taped up banners, escorted authors to their rightful places, brought us water, sat with us and talked for a while, even listened to some of our readings with the children and got involved with their activities. Some even dressed up as the characters Miguel and Maya, a PBS TV animated series “aimed at promoting multiculturism and education.”
I chatted with some of them. Eager faces enthused about the future. These are some of our future librarians and teachers, soaking up the experience of being around local authors and some out-of-town ones. They seemed genuinely interested in our personal stories about becoming authors, especially our involvement with the schools during school visits. Because of these young people, things ran smoothly. They gave up their weekend to spend it with children knowing that someday they will be the leaders shaping their future. How gratifying.“Nothing one ever experiences or feels is wasted.” – Lynne Reid Banks