Diana Scimone

One Person: Art and the Fight to Stop Child Trafficking

Can the beauty of art destroy the ugliness of child trafficking? Can one person--one artist--make a difference to help stop this global crime?

Oh yeah. 

In fact, beautiful artwork is at the center of the Born to Fly Project to stop child trafficking:  a wordless book with delightful illustrations by artist/illustrator Leah Wiedemer. 

Thanks to Leah's wonderful illustrations, anyone anywhere in the world will be able to "read" the book--no matter what their language, age, or culture. 

Called Born to Fly, the book is an allegory about learning to follow your dreams in a safe and secure manner.  Picture by picture, Leah's artwork warns parents about the ploys that traffickers use, and tells kids of all ages, "You were born to fly; don't settle for less."

Social (He)Art, the artists blog, just did a great profile on Leah. Read what Leah says about using her art to fight for social justice. It's inspiring.

Leah and I have collaborated on other children's projects, including the Adventures With PawPaw children's book series, which Leah illustrated and I wrote. You can see more of Leah's work (including her portraits from old family photos) on her blog, website, and CafePress store, and you can follow her on Twitter at @RoamingArtist

Very soon you'll get a sneak preview right here of Leah's illustrations for our wordless book.  We're keeping them undercover for now...but watch this space for the grand unveiling!

One Person: PUSH Concert to Stop Child Trafficking

I "met" Stefanie Hamilton after I left a comment on her blog, Nowhere to Hide, where she writes about issues of justice.  Stefanie is helping to organize a PUSH concert on May 28 at the Crofoot in Pontiac, Michigan--PUSH as in "push ourselves out of apathy and into action." 100% of proceeds from ticket sales and donations for CDs go to International Justice Mission to help stop child trafficking.

Now, isn't that a great idea--and something that anyone can do? Stefanie is a perfect example of how one person can make a difference.

I get emails from people all the time saying, "I'm horrified by the stories of kids being trafficked. What can I do to stop it?"

I usually refer them to the list of 43 ideas on this blog (see the list on the left, or go to www.dianascimone.com if you're reading this by email) -- but I suspect most people don't think they're really doing much just by holding a car wash or hanging up a poster about what to do if you spot a trafficked person.

We all want to rescue kids, and somehow a car wash seems so, well, so unglamorous. But car washes and concerts DO help because they provide funds for organizations that are working to stop the traffic--like IJM (which rescues kids) and Born to Fly International (which works to keep them from getting trafficked in the first place).

So if you're near Pontiac, Michigan, buy a ticket to the PUSH concert.  You'll hear great music from singer/songwriter Carol Clayton, Silent Violet, and Wurfel--and you'll know more about human trafficking when you leave than when you entered.  Tickets are just $10 and 100% of proceeds go to help stop child trafficking.

Want more ideas of how to make a difference?  Click on the category "One Person Can Make a Difference" on the right.  And if you're doing something to stop child trafficking, leave a comment and tell us about it. You, like Stefanie, are making a difference and we'd all like to know about it.

One Person: Drink Some Tea, Help Us Out

Actually that headline should read, "Help us out and you can drink some tea." Some wonderfully exotic and absolutely free tea.

Remember I promised to post stories about how one person can make a difference? Meet George Constance, CEO of Indonique Tea and Chai. 

Indonique gives a portion of their proceeds to organizations around the world that help children.

When George found out what Born to Fly is doing to stop child trafficking, he offered to send some of Indonique's wonderful imported teas to B2F donors.

So the first person who reads this and donates $20 gets a box of Indonique's lovely Assam Breakfast tea.

And the first one to donate $100 gets a box of fragrant Makaibari Estate Darjeeling Green tea.

So have a cuppa and help stop child trafficking at the same time. Just go to www.born2fly.org and click on the donate page. 

First $20 and $100 donors get the prizes! (Thanks, George!)

One Person: Buy a Flip Video. Rescue a Trafficked Child.

You know how you reeeealllly want a Flip Video? You know how I always say that you (yes, you) can help stop child trafficking? Here's how you can do both.

First let me introduce you to artist Leah Wiedemer, who did the adorable illustrations in my children's book series, Adventures With PawPaw.  Right now Leah is busy illustrating the wordless picture book for the Born to Fly project to stop child trafficking. 

The other day she came up with an idea to help raise funds to get the B2F materials printed and into the hands of kids around the world.  She uploaded onto CafePress some of the illustrations from the Adventures With PawPaw books--and she's donating 100% of the proceeds to Born to Fly. Pretty cool, huh? 

If you've never seen CafePress, check it out.  Leah has 50 different items with adorable PawPaw illustrations on them -- everything from baby onesies to mouse pads to (you guessed it) Flip Videos.  Really cool stuff.  Here are some samples and you can find more on CafePress:

 

 

So, about that Flip Video you've been wanting?  Why not order it with a cute PawPaw illustration on it?  (Leah can customize it for you with any of the illustrations you see; just leave me a comment and I'll get it to her.)  Whatever you order--whether it's a Flip Video or a magnet--Leah is donating 100% of her proceeds to stop child trafficking.

In the coming week, I'm going to post more examples of people like Leah making a difference. (If you know one, leave a comment here.)