TRUE HEROES: HOPE FOR CHILDREN BATTLING CANCER

Mon, 05 Oct 2015 09:13:16 +0000

This is a very touching post about the most amazing and special book called True Heroes, a book that hopes to become the go to inspiration for kids fighting cancer.

Every year an estimated 236.000 cases of cancer affect children under the age of 20 worldwide. That is about 720 new kids affected everyday! One in 330 children will be diagnosed by the time they’re 20 years old, and 2/3 of childhood cancer patients will have long lasting chronic conditions from treatment. These facts are probably one of the worst nightmares for any parent.

Children are not afraid to dream big; they truly believe anything is possible. But when children are struggling with pediatric cancer, their dreams are all the more poignant. Photographer Jonathan Diaz has made it his life’s mission to make these dreams a reality for heroic, cancer-flighting children. Jonathan Diaz is an attorney by day and photographer by night. When he isn’t taking photographs of mermaids, dragon riders and fairies, he enjoys spending time with his wife and family. He is today my personal hero and I am really honored to share with you his amazing work!

True Heroes pairs 21 children (all cancer patients), their dreams, and a photo session for each, with 21 bestselling children’s authors, including Shannon Hale, Brandon Mull, Ally Condie and Jennifer A. Nielsen, among others. Dreams literally come to life through photo and story, where each child is the hero of their own modern-day fairy tale, written by one of their favorite authors.

Dreams range from a dragon fighter to a baker, a superhero and sports hero, from a warrior princess to a fashionista, a mermaid, a cowboy and even a space explorer. Each child was photographed with costumes, props, make-up and careful attention to every detail. After the shoot, Diaz created a realistic scene of the child in their dream setting.

Diaz’s endeavor to bring dreams to life started with the formation of the Anything Can Be Project, an initiative to create a lasting hope for these children and to raise awareness in the fight against pediatric cancer, one dream and one photograph at a time. The photos and accompanying stories are meant to remind kids that they are full of power, strength, hope and happiness.

True Heroes was released at the beginning of September 2015 in conjunction with National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. All royalties are being donated to the Anything Can Be Project for future childhood dream making.

If you want to contribute and offer hope to children battling cancer, please purchase True Heroes. I could not thing of a better Christmas present!

Together Anything Can Be!

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ART IN ALL OF US & 99 SMILES

Sat, 01 Aug 2015 19:51:39 +0000

World Kids believes in the power of Arts to transform lives and stimulate multicultural understanding.

This is also the mission of Art in All of Us, a non-profit organization based in Brussels and New York City, that promotes tolerance and cultural exchange throughout all the 192 UN member countries, through art and creativity activities.

The Art in All of Us mission is to inspire children across borders to build a more tolerant world for tomorrow.

They stimulate the creativity and curiosity of children through artistic and interactive activities. By giving them a voice, children are empowered to express their feelings, build their self-esteem, and help create a more positive future.

With Art as their tool, children, and in turn adults, will be able to gain knowledge of cultural similarities and differences and to embrace the “unknown” with tolerance,understanding and curiosity.

Art in all of Us works with children from the ages of 8-12, opening their eyes to new cultures and new ideas.

Photographers Anthony Asael and Stephanie Rabemiafara, from their shared love of art, children, and culture, founded AiA in 2005. Through leading their workshops in schools and community groups in all 192 UN member countries, they have taught photography and captured the experiences of over 21,000 children as they created poetry anddrawings.

Anthony’s and Stephanie’s photographs, aswell as the artwork created by the children, have been exhibited around the world. And UNICEF showcased their work to commemorate in 2009 the 20th Anniversary of the Convention of the Rigths of the Child at their headquarters in New York City.

Their activity includes different core programs: Pen Pal Program, World Art Book program, and Awareness Program.

You can collaborate with them by volunteering, and donating. Also, right now you can make a difference by helping them reach their goal of 50.000 Euros at 99 Smiles. If they reach this amount, they will be able to provide more than 1.6 million creative activities for over 40.000 children. You can also sponsor a school: discover countries, meet children and give them a quality future.

Art in All of us: Inspiring Global Citienship through Art.

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TRUE HEROES: HOPE FOR CHILDREN BATTLING CANCER

ART IN ALL OF US & 99 SMILES