We all know that great teaches can have a lifelong, positive impact on their students. If you had seen the look on their faces as Marcus Negrin and Nick Lawrence interviewed their Neighbourhood Hero, school librarian, Sharleen Lapadat, you would know that she is one of those teachers.

Marcus and Nick, Grade 7 students at Seaview School, wrote today's column.

Mrs. Lapadat is much more than a teacher. She has inspired us to look closely at our own community and to become caring and constructive citizens of the world. She truly believes that one person reaching out in the world can make a difference.

She often tells the story of a small boy and old man walking on the beach. As they walked the small boy would pick up starfish from the rocks and toss them back into the water.

The man asked the boy, "Why are you bothering to pick up those few starfish and throw them back, there are thousands of them out here and you certainly won't be able to help them all? The little boy looked at the starfish in his hand, threw it in the water and said, "I made a difference for that one."

Mrs. Lapadat believes children of the world are like the starfish on that beach, and each time we reach out to one, we make a difference.

Operation Christmas Child has become one of Mrs. Lapadat's favourite ways of reaching out to help others. It truly is a one-to-one way of helping children in our world.

For the past few years, the students and parents of Seaview School have looked forward to the annual Christmas Shoebox Gift Campaign when each student and staff member is asked to consider gathering a few items to fill a shoebox decorated with Christmas wrap.

They might include things such as pencils, a pencil sharpener, crayons, a mirror, a small toy, hygiene products such as a tooth brush and tooth paste, small articles of clothing, and so on.

These items are then placed in the decorated shoebox with the lid wrapped separately so it can be opened and "boy" or "girl" and the appropriate age marked on the outside.

The boxes are collected and then sent away all over the world to children in countries torn apart by war, poverty, disease and natural disasters.

Mrs. Lapadat has really given us the gift of feeling what it is like to reach out and make a difference in such a simple way.

Last year, over four million Christmas shoeboxes were delivered to places such as Serbia, Mexico, Nicaragua and Honduras. This year they are hoping to send out five million.

Mrs. Lapadat has explained to us that 60% of the children of the world don't have enough food to eat everyday!

These children never receive toothbrushes, new toys, or school supplies. We are very lucky and privileged to have these things and because we do, we have the responsibility to reach out to people in the world who don't.

We think nothing could be more important than preparing and sending these boxes at Christmas time.

If you would like to donate a Christmas Gift Box, you can drop it off at Seaview School by November 9 or call Dawne at 390-2505 for more information.

Note from Bill.

Since Sharleen Lapadat started the Christmas Shoebox program at Seaview, 13 other schools in School District # 68 have joined in.

Students are encouraged to include a photo of themselves or their family and to decorate the inside of the box with their own original artwork.

You can find out more about the project at www.samaritanspurse.org