Simple act has profound impact

Camas past and present came together on Saturday for the “Spring Into History” event in downtown.

At the heart of the celebration was a true example of multiple generations working toward one common goal.

Camas residents Randy Curtis and his granddaughter Olivia Brotherton were inspired to right a wrong that had been perpetrated more than a decade ago.

It all started with simple walk past the Cedar Street fountain and the nearby bronze sculpture of a little girl. They both wondered, what is missing? As it turned out, the “reading girl” was missing something very important — her book.

Curtis set out on a hunt for the statue’s backstory. As he soon found out, shortly after the it was installed in 2002, its book was first damaged, then stolen. It was never replaced.

Encouraged by Olivia who posed the question, “Why can’t we get her another book?” Curtis constructed one, and the results were unveiled to the public on Saturday.

Curtis credited not only his granddaughter, who inspired the effort, but also Camas city officials and downtown leaders who he said immediately responded positively to his request to find some way to get the statue fixed. According to Curtis, no one ever said ‘we can’t,” but instead asked, “how can we help get this done?”

While this effort alone may seem rather simple. In the end, it is clear that sometimes the most simple questions, and simple acts, can result in profound of impacts. And it was clear based on the turnout for Saturday’s unveiling, and the reactions from those attendees, that this small act had a significant impact on many. And it all started with a little girl who wondered, why?