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T-shirt created by Algonquin 6-year old touching the hearts of many By Jennifer Patterson Daily Herald Staff Writer Chicago, U.S.A.,Apr 6 2003-Squish, squish. Crunch, crunch. These are the sound effects Kaitlyn Wiest makes as she stuffs each hand-addressed envelope with a T-shirt Friday morning. It seems more like playtime than an all-out effort to support the troops in the Middle East and their families for the 6-year-old Algonquin girl. But her simple drawing of children holding hands around an American flag -- and her subsequent idea to have it printed on T-shirts to raise money -- is touching the hearts of many in the community as well as the lives of Fox Valley families who have loved ones in the war. "I could not be prouder of my child," said Beth Wiest, Kaitlyn's mom. A graphic designer who works out of the family's home, Wiest said she wasn't surprised in the least when, a little more than a week ago, Kaitlyn handed her the picture she had drawn and asked her to make it into a T-shirt iron-on. It was when the Eastview Elementary School kindergartner then asked if she could sell it in a local store that Wiest had to stop and think for a minute. Kaitlyn's teacher had apparently asked the class to draw pictures for a classmate whose father was recently deployed to assist in the war effort, Wiest said. "Because his daddy is in the war," Kaitlyn pipes in. Or as she sometimes calls it, the "ward." So, the mom-and-daughter team decided to have some shirts printed and see if they could get anyone to sell them. Nearly 400 T-shirts later, the duo, with help from siblings Chris, 4, and Jayden, 2, and dad, of course, has raised more than $3,000 for the classmate�s family and several more in the area who have members overseas. "In these families, the father was the main breadwinner," Beth Wiest said. "The military does pay them, but it's not anywhere near what they were making." The money will be used to buy gift cards from local grocery and other stores, which will be given to the families to help make ends meet during the war. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/030403/nythfns1_1.html 10-Year-Old Wins $10,000 Grand Prize in Dole 5 A Day Recipe Contest PRNewswire WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., April 3 2003-Dole Food Company, Inc. announced today that Lauren Assayag, a fifth grader from Los Angeles, was the grand prize winner in the company's 5 A Day Kids Recipe Contest. Through this contest, Dole invited kids ages five to 12 to enter a favorite, healthful fruit or vegetable recipen for a chance to win a savings bond. Lauren's "Mango Avocado Salsa Chicken Strips" earned her a $10,000 savings bond, which she says she'll use for college. "Mangos and avocados are two of my favorite foods, so I liked combining them," said Lauren, 10. Lauren said she was completely surprised to win. She likes doing art projects, and she sees cooking as a kind of art, combining colors and tastes. She's learned how to cook from her mother, father and grandmother, and would like to be a chef when she grows up. -----------------------------------------------------------------------

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Kids Find Ways to Remember Parents at War

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN, Associated Press Writer

HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M, U.S.A.,Mar 312003-Every day at 3:34 p.m., a 9-year-old boy's wristwatch sounds in New Mexico and so does his dad's, half a world away in Iraq (news - web sites).

The synchronized alarms of father and son let them know they are thinking about each other at exactly the same time.

"At that moment, they have a connection � it helps," said the boy's mother and the wife of the Holloman pilot, Jules, who asked that her last name not be used. The two chose 3:34 p.m. because that's when the boy would be home from school.

"He comes running through the house with his watch as the alarm is going off, saying, 'Daddy, daddy, daddy,' and the dog barks and everything," Jules said. "Then we stop and say, 'I love you, Daddy.' It's incredible."

Through voice messages, toys and mementoes, thousands of American children are trying to keep track of moms and dads away at war. The sound of a voice, the smell of a parent's clothing � these things can help a child cope with fear and feelings of loss.

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Kids Across America 'Kick Butts' on April 2

U.S. Newswire

WASHINGTON, March 31 2003-Thousands of kids across America take center stage in the fight against tobacco on April 2 as they participate in the eighth annual Kick Butts Day.

Kids are sending three powerful messages on Kick Butts Day 2003: They want the tobacco industry to stop targeting them with advertising; they want elected leaders to do more to protect them from tobacco; and they want their parents and loved ones to quit smoking.

This year, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids has also teamed up with Pharmacia, makers of the Nicotrol(r) line of smoking cessation products, to provide kids with information about the dangers of smoking and secondhand smoke and ways they can encourage their parents and other loved ones who smoke to quit.

On Kick Butts Day, Kids take their turns as leaders in the fight against tobacco

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