I drove by the Number 18 School in Marshall today, that beautiful, little oneroom schoolhouse that served the children of Fauquier County for an astonishing seventy-seven years, from 1887 to 1964. And I admired, as I always do, its lovely white weatherboard, stone foundation, and a gabled roof topped by a cupola.

But, during the first twenty-three of its years, the Number 18 School served only White children and, from 1911 to 1964, it served only the African American children of our neighborhood. So, in addition to evidencing the goodness of a population determined to teach and nurture its youth, the Number 18 School also reminds us of a darker part of our history, segregated education.

It's like the tree, I suppose – not one of the many historic Tulip Poplars and Cedars of Lebanon that bless this beautiful place we call home – but the tree described by Hermann Hesse, a tree that reveals its whole history in its rings, "its scars, all the struggle, all the suffering, all the sickness, all the happiness, and prosperity stand there truly written, the narrow years and the luxurious years, the attacks withstood, the storms endured."

So we persevere, in fits and starts, two steps forward sometimes, one step backward, occasionally.

The good news is that we remain determined to teach and nurture our youth and, on August 15, some 11,000 children, of every color and creed and ethnicity, returned together to Fauquier County Public Schools. And more good news is that a local group, "A Little Heart," a 501(c)(3) organization headquartered in The Plains, is committed to helping "children in the greater Fauquier County area who lack the resources they need to be successful" by offering assistance to these schools, through several nutrition based programs: Project Lunch Box and Project Healthy Snacks. Additionally, Project Sweet Dreams provides comfort items, as well as educational materials to children in crisis situations.

As stated recently in a note received by "A Little Heart":

"Thank you for your generous gift! The funds provided by A Little Heart's Project Lunch Box have given relief to almost 30 children at [our school].

Even on a reduced fee schedule, so many of our families struggle to provide the funds necessary throughout the school year. The grant not only reduces the financial burden but also the emotional burden for a family who cannot pay off a child's account. The funds also allow school personnel the freedom to provide the healthy meal of the day without having to worry the child about payment."

The good work accomplished by "A Little Heart" is completely dependent upon the continued generosity, in time, money, and donations of new blankets and new or like-new stuffed animals and books, of Fauquier County neighbors and friends. Please do contact them if you can, to paraphrase Hermann Hesse, help a child who struggles as his family attempts to withstand and endure narrow years. Please visit them at www.alittleheartcharity.org. The mailing address is: P.O. Box 127, The Plains, VA 20198. The telephone number is 703-536-0240, and the e-mail address is info@alittleheartcharity.org.