In 1996, when I was nine, my beloved grandmother died of pancreatic cancer. Nanny and I were extremely close, and I couldn't handle losing her. Through the encouragement of a friend, I realized I had to reach out in order to heal. Thus, one month after Nanny's death, I originated the idea of publishing a neighborhood newspaper to raise money for cancer research with the hope of hastening a day when no child would have to lose a loved one to this disease. A newspaper was a perfect tribute to Nanny whose passion in life was reading.
Word spread. My "neighborhood" grew quickly. Today, The Informer is a global, by-kids-for-kids newspaper with readers in 29 states and 19 foreign countries. It is used in several classrooms across the US and by therapists, parents, and presenters at national and international conferences. To date the paper has donated $5,000 to the American Cancer Society for research.
Besides earning money for the American Cancer Society, the purpose of the newspaper is basically three-fold: INFORM, INSPIRE, and INTERCONNECT. To inform young people about current events and issues which effect us, I write editorials, and other youth send in articles. Topics have included global warming, the environment, religious intolerance, racial prejudice, multiculturalism, war, morality, etc. On a lighter note, the paper also includes information about other cultures (much of which is first hand from foreign subscribers and from The Informer's foreign correspondents), holidays, jokes, poetry, etc. To inspire readers to make a difference in their communities, I feature young people who have done amazing community service. I know all the youth that I write about (through state and national committees we serve on and through award ceremonies I have attended), and I can vouch for their enthusiasm and determination! Lastly, I use The Informer to interconnect youth so that we can further spread our projects and so we can further international exchange of culture and ideas.
To date the paper has donated $5,000 to the American Cancer Society for research.
If you would like to hear what kids are saying, if you'd like be part of an effort which demonstrates that youth have the power to make a difference in the world, and if you'd like to support a project to get young people of all ages involved in helping in their communities and networking with youth in other communities, then I invite you to subscribe to The Informer!
For subsciption information, click
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