IN THE PIPELINE:

The effects of the fires are still wafting into Huntington Beach and other coastal cities, however mild or inconvenient. Naturally, the closer one gets to the firestorms, the more the loss and horrific tragedies are magnified. But around here, it’s perhaps some canceled ball games, no dog walks, maybe even a thin layer of ash on the car.

Our eyes watered a bit more, we sneezed a lot, but for the most part that’s as bad as it got for many of us. We stayed glued to our TV sets, mouths agape, wondering what we’d grab first if it were our home in the orange path, without any real fear of having to make the decision.

Kids around here probably felt it more than the adults. Most outdoor activities were canceled, which meant being cooped up inside all week in school. Also, no sports after school, so all in all, a longer week than usual.

At Saint Bonaventure school, as I’m sure other schools experienced, class trips and other extracurricular events were pulled, in view of the generally miserable air quality. I know specifically that the fifth grade saw an all-day nature trip to Crystal Cove bite the dust Friday, which of course disappointed the kids. Our daughter’s class got the news last Thursday, the day before the trip. All little fingers were crossed as the air quality deadline approached, but the trip just wasn’t meant to be. Some long faces to be sure, but as all the kids seemed to appreciate, they were lucky — all they lost was a field trip.

The story could have ended there, as life for everyone returned to normal. But one fifth-grader’s mom, Dawn Hernandez, thought perhaps a teaching moment was at hand for her son’s class. To replace the trip, the kids were still going to get a pizza party in its place. Hernandez, however, had a bigger plan: to rally the troops and help those affected by the fires.

On Thursday she challenged the kids in the fifth grade to each bring in a gently used stuffed animal to be donated to a child who may have lost their favorite cuddly toy. The kids were also going to use their time to make cards to send to firefighters, and to sweeten the deal and motivate the troops even more, Hernandez arranged for local firefighters to visit the fifth-graders Friday.

The bring-a-stuffed- animal-to-school-on-Friday mission was expanded to the entire school (about 600 kids), but Hernandez had no idea what to expect with only a one-day turnaround. She told me she’d organized other good will endeavors in the past, but never in just a day. Still, she was determined to help the kids make whatever positive difference they could.

I went over to the school Friday afternoon to await the arrival of the firefighters and see how the toy drive had gone. The fifth graders were outside, finally in the fresh air and sunshine. The bags among them contained more than 1,500 stuffed animals gathered with just one day’s notice. School Principal Sister Carmel Lynch smiled while surveying the activity and stunning display of generosity.

“Lovely, just lovely,” she said. “But these are our kids, this is what they do.”

Dawn was beyond pleased, and she’s not done either. Now she’s busy generating items for adults who also lost personal things.

The event seemed better than any field trip. Colorful signs had been made to present to the firefighters. Some kids were dressed in firefighting gear, and the mood was festive.

Then the fire truck pulled up and the kids erupted as if the Angels had just won the World Series (if only Hernandez could arrange THAT miracle). The firefighters brought coloring books and hats for the kids, posed for pictures and seemed genuinely impressed with what had been accomplished.

There was innocence and wonder, as kids marveled at heroes on a day where you had to wonder if perhaps one youngster might just have decided to become a firefighter. This was a small-town American moment in the best of ways — heartfelt, simple and pure.

Over the weekend, Hernandez and her boys delivered the toys safely to Goodwill. Soon, the gifts will be in the arms of children throughout fire-ravaged Southern California.

There were many inspiring stories emerging from the ash and rubble last week. I was lucky enough to witness one of them right here in Huntington Beach, courtesy of one determined mom and a school full of generous, appreciative kids.

Did your school, family or organization do something special to help fire victims? Post your story at In The Pipeline, www.hbindependent.com /columns. And see a video of the St. Bonaventure kids greeting the fire truck at hbindependent.com/video/.

Have an old H.B. family photo for the new book Chris is working on, “Huntington Beach, Then and Now?” Write him at chris@chrisepting.com. If he uses it you’ll get a free, signed copy of the book.

CHRIS EPTING is the author of nine books including his latest, “Led Zeppelin Crashed Here, The Rock and Roll Landmarks of North America.” He also hosts “The Pop Culture Road Trip” radio show on webtalkradio.net.