On November 10, 2005, at 4:55 p.m., Beverly Halley walked into the Teachers Resource Center and found herself on a red carpet. Taped brass band music and a cheering crowd welcomed her on her walk to the registration desk, where Bluebill volunteers officially proclaimed hers to be the 25,000th teacher to visit the storehouse in its six years of operation.

Halley was initially confused, embarrassed and more than a little delighted with all the attention. A special ed teacher of K-2 graders at Bailey Gazert Elementary School, she has been coming to pick up supplies for her kids for five years.

"Beverly represents of all the teachers who make this program work," World Vision’s warehouse manager Jim Peterson told the crowd. "We love all our teachers. In the past six years we’ve made history here, and this is an important milestone. Through the teachers and our volunteer efforts, we have given out more than $5 million in school supplies, to more than 162,000 young people!’’

Teacher Halley had enthusiastic praise for the program. "We are always running out of supplies, and budgets get leaner and leaner. So our visits here are very important to us. The funny thing about all this fuss over me and the 25,0o00 visitor is that I was caught on a stormy night, going through traffic at 5 miles per hour. I was grumbling that the doors would be closing before I got here. But when I arrived people were cheering and telling me they’d been waiting for me! It was wonderful."

And more wonderful things were in store. As the 25,000th visitor, she became the owner of a new 27-inch TV/VCR/DVD, a gift provided by Bluebill volunteer Don Hilt. The set fills a serious void in her household, she says. Halley has been a teacher in the Seattle School district for 30 years. She has high praise for the Bluebills, who fill the vast warehouse with a special brand of energy and helpfulness. "All of us appreciate what they do," she said.