Cheers to Guardian ad Litem volunteers, and John Grisham, Stephen King

Two reports to celebrate:

Area residents responded in droves to an urgent plea for volunteers to serve in the 12th Judicial Circuit's Guardian ad Litem program. More than 80 recruits signed up after reading the Jan. 31 Herald article addressing this desperate need.

The number of children in crisis caught in the legal system soared to an all-time record of 821. Those kids were pulled from their homes for their own safety because of family situations.

GALs, as the guardians are called, are assigned one or two children to connect with at least once a month to ensure they are OK. Manatee County already has 200 GALs, not enough to cover the explosion of new cases.

Kudos to the new recruits and the current volunteer force. Entering unpleasant situations to serve children takes a special person.

Three cheers for two of the top storytellers writing today. John Grisham and Stephen King entertained a large crowd while sitting in overstuffed chairs and swapping stories on the Neel Performing Arts Center stage.

They generously gave their time to benefit the Manatee Library Foundation's assistance to literacy programs.

The so-called Bookends fund-raiser snagged $215,000, well above the goal of $175,000. Pretty sweet stuff for literacy.

This story was originally published February 6, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Cheers to Guardian ad Litem volunteers, and John Grisham, Stephen King ."