Today I felt really lucky. I didn't win the lottery. I didn't get three strikes in bowling or a homerun in baseball. I didn't find my lost wallet or meet the man of my dreams of J-Date. But I did meet a group of amazing people who enthusiastically gave of their time and energy to totally renovate a local child care center. Over fifty volunteers dedicated their weekend... to participate in Rebuilding Together at the Child Education Center (CEC), located on Browning Street in Berkeley, California. It was truly an incredible experience.

Rebuilding Together is a non profit organization that brings together different groups of people, and was originally created "to provide a warm, safe and dry environment for low-income homeowners, enabling them to live independently and with dignity" with the underlying goal of "stabilizing and strengthening communities." The program has expanded to include non profit programs, like CEC. Sunday's event was cosponsored by Young Leadership Division of the Jewish Community Federation and Congregation Netivot Shalom.

The volunteers who participated in Sunday's event were unbelievable. Under the talented direction of Warren Leiber (YLD Event Chair) and Jonathan Stern, the volunteers painted the outside of the school, installed new floor and carpeting in many of the classrooms, painted many of the classroom's interiors, planted flowers, filled in potholes, refinished children's furniture, and some volunteers even painted a cheerful mural of the ABC's, 123's, and colorful shapes. It was phenomenal, not only watching the efficiency of these amateur renovators, but also being part of it. CEC's director, Darlene Percoats-Redmond, repeatedly said how lucky the school was to be the recipient of Rebuilding Together and how grateful she was for all the hard work and improvements that were made.

I felt lucky too. I felt like I was part of a community and like I was really making a difference. It was such a rewarding experience to volunteer and actually feel like I was contributing to an important cause. I originally signed on as a volunteer for the event not knowing where it was. I was surprised to find out the event was to be held at CEC. Not only is CEC my cousin's preschool, but in the past week, I started subbing there as the Pre-K teacher. On Friday, the children were so excited preparing for the renovations. They are going to be blown away when they see their new school tomorrow.

I told my little 3 ½ year old cousin about all the work we did today, to which he animatedly responded "Wow, I can't wait to see my school!" Wow, is right. Thank you Rebuilding Together. Thank you amazing volunteers. Volunteers are not paid -- not because they are worthless, but because they are priceless. The energy, compassion, and commitment these people gave to CEC were beautiful and I am a better person because of programs like Rebuilding Together.

--Anne Frank