When 12-year-old Ervin Ray White was diagnosed this summer with ALL, a cancer of the white blood cells, many people in the Willow Wood community rallied.

Kay Hager, president of the band boosters, organized fundraisers to help the family with medical and traveling expenses. Symmes Valley School Board member Kim Turner pitched in, as did several teachers and staff within the district.

And because White now has to be homeschooled, the hope was to raise enough money to purchase the family a laptop computer. But a selfless act by an anonymous donor has taken care of that need.

“It is amazing to have a donor donate the whole laptop and wanted to remain anonymous,” Hager said. “They were delighted to get the computer and she (mother Melisa Walters) was very grateful.”

Now that the laptop has been secured, funds from last week’s Longaberger open house and the Dec. 14 Longaberger Bingo will go directly to the family. The bingo event is set for 2 p.m. at the high school.

“I am so proud of how our school and community is working together to help this family,” Hager said.

And all of that effort is made possible by several people who have taken the initiative to assist a local family in a difficult situation. That includes one particular contributor who opted not for publicity that was sure to come but for the simple, decent act of helping someone in need.

Tragic stories like the one that has affected Ervin Ray White and his familiy are not unique, but the people who surround them make it clear they do not have to face this adversity alone.