Jocelyn Lam

There wasn't a dry eye in the principal's office when Slessor finished reading the letter.



Reynolds later called the parents, Mike and Taylor Lam, to make sure they were aware of what their daughter was doing. They were.



The parents are from Vietnam. Mike works in a bakery in San Gabriel. Taylor works as a manicurist in Pasadena.



"Jocelyn love her teachers," Taylor told Patch. "She say she has a little money and wants to give it to help save her teachers' jobs. I tell her it is up to her. She gets the money from us and my mother-in-law, who takes care of her and her brother when my husband and I are at work."



Young Jocelyn's amazing act of giving came on Friday, two days after a flyer had been sent home to all Camino Grove parents. The flyer pointed out that due to state budget cuts, –65 positions within the Arcadia district, including 22 high school teachers, 17 middle school teachers and 21 elementary school teachers--10 at Camino Grove.



Reynolds and Slessor came up with the idea of the flyer with hopes that it would alert parents about donating to the Arcadia Educational Foundation to save staff positions–and many already have. The total as of Tuesday was more than $10,000. However, Reynolds and Slessor never thought about donations from students. We're talking about children in grades kindergarten through fifth after all.



Now, because of what one student did, others are following suit. On Monday, Jocelyn's brother Lawrence Lam, a fourth grader, donated $177, which was all of his savings. A first grader chipped in $1, his allowance for that week.



Lawrence also enclosed a letter with his donation, which concluded with this plea: "PLEASE PUT MONEY TO THE BEST USE!!! SAVE OUR TEACHERS, PLEASE!!!"



Patch visited Camino Grove and many of the students in both Jocelyn's class and Lawrence's raised their hands when they were asked if they planned to donate as well.



Jocelyn said the $300 she donated came from chores such as washing dishes and making her bed along with the money she got for good grades. She had been saving for college the past few years, but it was OK that the money was now gone.



She had done a very good deed and that seemed to please her more than any money ever could.