By Marsha Sandman | CNA Media Team
A precocious 6-year-old Concordian wanted to share an opinion piece she wrote about POTUS. She made copies and distributed them to her neighbors.
Darby, a fellow neighbor, educator and father of two young daughters thought creating a newsletter might be good idea. So he gave the kids an opportunity to create their own every-other-week newsletter and thus practice their writing and drawing skills.
The young writers, ages 5 to 12, named it “Concordia Kids News.” They charge a sliding scale of $2 to $5 per issue and donate the proceeds to the Black Resilience Fund. That emergency fund is dedicated to healing and resilience by providing immediate resources to Black Portlanders in need.
The Modern Orthodontist, owned by one of the parents, matches donations to the newsletter which, by CNews press time, had raised $200.
Darby looked at local newspapers for inspiration and guidance. He gave the youngsters creative license to use their imaginations. Some write, some draw and others create original cartoons.
Darby puts it all together for the every-other-week issue and emails to subscribers. To subscribe, email him at ConcordiaKidsNews@gmail.com. He will let you know your payment options.
The first issue went public June 20, the second newsletter July 5 and the third July 19. Future issues will publish every other week thereafter, as long as the enthusiasm continues.
The current creative staff includes Pierce, Poppy and Waylon, age 5; Ari, 6; Avery, Laurel, and Paisley 8; and Nijal, 12. Ari commented “It’s fun, and I get to hang with my neighbors.” “I like to work with friends on projects,” Avery added. Laurel said “I get to use my imagination and I like interviewing people.” “I like to have fun and entertain kids,” reported Paisley. Nijal, Pierce, Poppy and Waylon had no comments.
Submissions aren’t edited, but contributors need a little encouragement to meet their deadlines.
Topics are varied, like tooth fairy customs around the world, what who wants for Christmas, great stories about kittens and more. If you want to enjoy those and some cartoons and impressive art work, subscribe.
You’ll be helping a good cause and a bunch of blossoming journalists.
After living east, south, north and west, Marsha Sandman is home at last. And she wants to hear your story. Contact her at MarshaJSandman@gmail.com.