Neighborhood Kids Newsletter Adds Fundraising Component
Never doubt the abilities of a child - or, in this case, a neighborhood of children.
The Neighborhood Kids Newsletter (or NKN) was born out of the isolation and lack of interpersonal connection of early pandemic schooling. Daniel Pell, a teacher and father of two young sons, recently added “Editor in Chief” to his list of titles, when he gathered the children of their neighborhood together to report on local and global news.
The children’s reporting covered the national presidential election, the ongoing pandemic, and - more recently, the invasion of Ukraine.
Ian, Dan’s older son, is twelve, and describes the conflict in Ukraine with greater knowledge and understanding than many adults. Dan’s younger son, Emile, is nine and his insight into the conflict is less specific, but equally insightful. “I don’t like war. I don’t like that people kill each other just for land.”
The NKN news team create their own illustrations, comic strips, and drawings for the newsletter. After their reporting on Ukraine began, Dan looked at the box of original artwork he had stored over the last two years, and decided to introduce a new element to the NKN group - fundraising.
Together, they compiled their artwork, put out posters advertising the sale, and set out tables in one of their front yards to display their work. They raised $500.
“I just wanted to help out the people in Ukraine and the children in Ukraine,” Ian remembers. “I’m really proud of what we did, and I hope it helps a lot of people.”
When asked if he thought their sale was worth it, Emile’s response? A resounding “Yes!”
“It was to save children, and that’s good.”
When asked why more grown-ups don’t give to help others, Ian reflected that “People might see it as something that takes up time they could use to do other things, they don’t really care if nothing is happening to them.”
Ian learned about philanthropy in school. He sums up the premise perfectly. Philanthropy is “Doing something good for others and not expecting anything in return or doing something good just for the point of doing something good.”
When asked to share his final reflections, Ian shared this evergreen piece of advice: “If you have what you need, there are other people who aren’t ok, and you should try to help them.”
If you are interested in supporting the Neighborhood Kids Newsletter’s next art sale, they will be at Lakeside Street Coffee House (402 W. Lakeside St.) on Sunday, June 12 from noon-2pm. (Rain date is Sat. June 18)
