ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights three noteworthy effects of benevolence, namely the provision or construction of physical, human, and social capital. The parents of the high achieving students frequently initiated contact with the school while parents of the low achieving students did so relatively rarely. The students, particularly in the selected schools, appeared to have their links to their families increased when parents helped out. Several volunteers found that their labour with tutoring, fund raising, organizing, and generally working with adults provided practice for their entry or re-entry into paid employment. A remarkable feature about the receipt of gifts by elementary schools is that the benevolence was perceived to be almost entirely positive. Evidence on academic learning suggests that it increases with the presence of volunteers, but the learning norm may not account for the change. The Little Lake City School District was considering the closing of schools because of declining enrollment.
