Bell went above and beyond to give aid

With all the political talk, I want to tell about a different side of Rob Bell that I know.
Because his dad was in the Navy, Rob went to grade school in Long Beach, Miss.
When Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, it destroyed one of the town’s schools, Harper-McCaughan. When Rob saw the pictures on the Internet, he called the school principal to see how he could help. Rob called and e-mailed his contacts for help. People bought encyclopedias and magazine subscriptions for the destroyed library. Kids at Ruckersville Elementary, Stone-Robinson Elementary and Walton Middle raised more than $10,000 for other needs. John Grisham very generously donated $25,000 of his own money. Others brought backpacks, books and furniture to rebuild the school. Rob spent a weekend visiting Harper-McCaughan to make sure the supplies had arrived.
I grew up in Mississippi and went down there myself after the storm. I know that none of those students in Long Beach are his constituents, but I appreciate Rob’s compassion and hard work to get the job done. We need people like him in Richmond. I hope we will keep him as our delegate on Nov. 3.

Allen Powell
Albemarle County