Young Author Inspires and Fundraises with Anti-Bullying Book

Posted on
By DouglasPosted In: Childrens Charities, EducationTagged:

In Toronto, there is a young author with a mission to impact how kids grow up.

Twelve-year-old Shreya Gupta has published two books which focus on young students’ overcoming bullying in school. After the release of her most recent book earlier this year, she decided to donate all proceeds to charity.

The organization she chose is called Kids Help Phone. It is an e-resource available 24/7 for guidance through mental health issues, abuse, and bullying. Trained professionals are available to the youth at all times via phone or text.

Shreya Gupta’s first book, Flamingo Feet, tells the story of a young ballet dancer who is compelled to drop out of a competition after being verbally ridiculed by a peer. Her new book, The Flip Side, describes the experience of a young girl who is cyberbullied after moving to a new school.

A victim of school bullying herself, Gupta was inclined to write these books to raise awareness and is happy to make a difference by supporting Kids Help Phone.

Gupta is pleased that her own school in Toronto has been making strides in dealing with bullying and its impact. There are now mental health clubs offered and assemblies that focus on these matters. She explained, “In our diverse community, everyone can feel welcome there, and it’s a really important topic which we have to talk about.”

In an effort to inspire others, Shreya Gupta encourages young people everywhere to make a difference in any way they can: “You don’t have to write a book to make a difference. Organizing a fundraiser, spreading awareness, or raising money for charity are things that people of all ages can do.”

As Shreya Gupta has demonstrated, if you have an idea that can change our world for the better, go for it!

Lending A Helping Hand

Posted on
By JohnPosted In: Childrens Charities, HealthTagged:

It’s amazing what people can accomplish when they are truly dedicated – regardless of their age or training.

Two Miami senior high school students have successfully developed prosthetic hands for children in Haiti. The twin brothers, Jonathan and David Tamen, came up with the idea two years ago, and quickly turned their vision into a reality. The boys started a nonprofit called Helping Hands MB and recruited others in their school along the way.

The parts are designed by e-NABLE, an online engineering charity. The organization trained David on how to print and assemble the prosthetic hands, making him the Helping Hands engineer. His brother Jonathan explains, “The biggest challenge with actually assembling the devices is you have to be very precise. It is a medical instrument.” David explains that the prosthetic hand is split into many 3-D models, and each is downloaded and printed individually. After an average of about 18 hours, the parts are finished being printed. With the assistance of the Miami Beach Senior High’s 3D Printing Club, the raw plastic parts are joined together to create the prosthetics. This process usually takes about six hours for each prosthetic hand and forearm. The group of students, with participants from all grades, meet every other week to pursue this project. Although Jonathan and David are graduating at the end of the year, the 3D Printing Club plans to continue meeting.

After production and assembly are complete, the next step is transferring the devices to their users. One shipment of prosthetic hands is already on the way to Haiti, with more planned to be sent in the future.

Despite all the challenges involved, the Tamen twins are proud of what they’ve accomplish and learned along the way. The brothers hope their creations will make everyday tasks easier for disabled children.