Those We Admire Who Inspire

We admire and are inspired by those people who do good work on behalf of children and families. And we absolutely love to talk (and talk and talk) about them! You'll find information about individuals, organizations, companies, and products that are making the world a better, more laugh-friendly place. We want to do our part to share their inspiration and, though sometimes it seems like a little, we hope that in some way it helps a lot! Just another way ee is helping to keep the chain of giving going.

• Alfred McComber, Founder and Host of Code Red! Radio Show and your Personal Security and Emergency Preparedness Expert!


• Kwame Alexander, Poet and Founder of Capital BookFest


• Anil Hemrajani, Founder and CEO of Big Universe


• Cyndi Darnell of Amy Adele, Children’s Stationers (and Stationers to our kids!)


• Lorraine Jara, Founder of BK2HK and Be Kind to Humankind Week


• Meet Mark Hoog, Author of Letters From Katrina


• Saundra Seward, Author of Bittersweet Diary

ee: What inspired you to develop your  emergency preparedness radio show Code Red! ? How would you describe your mission as a show host?

am: The reason for developing the Code Red! radio show, which is now being revamped as a weekly television broadcast, is based on my 25+ years in law enforcement; high- level dignitary protection assignments for some of the world’s richest and most famous royal family members, dignitaries, corporate executives and celebrities; as well as my work, training, and experience in rescue squad and emergency preparedness response operations. My experience has given me the ultimate bird’s eye view, and extremely valuable insight, regarding what individuals and agencies must really do to be properly prepared for violent criminal attacks, as well as natural and man-made disasters that occur each and every day across America and around the world.

What inspired me to create the show back in 2004 is the fact that people truly must take their personal security, safety and emergency preparedness seriously. How can they learn the right steps and precautions to take?  Fortunately the Code Red! show and my knowledgeable experts and guests specialize in teaching people exactly what they can do to increase their chances in emergencies and disasters.

ee: What is the single most important lesson you want listeners of the show and readers of your blog to come away with?

am: Personal Protection Specialists such as myself, are in the business of saving lives by conducting extensive threat assessments and advance logistics surveys to help IDENTIFY and PREVENT incidents and disasters BEFORE they happen! The same is true for personal security, safety, and emergency preparedness situations. People must be aware of their surroundings (we call this Situational Awareness) and they need to have a PLAN OF ACTION (POA) before disaster strikes so that they can RESPOND in a calm, cool, and collected manner when emergencies do occur, rather than just screaming and running around with no plan of action, reacting to a crisis. 

ee: What do you think parents need to be most vigilant about when it comes to their kids’ safety these days?

am: According to F.B.I. statistics, over 2,000 child are reported missing or lost everyday throughout America! This averages out to 10,000 kids per million, and as much as 40% of these children are never found! It’s absolutely crazy! 

Parents need to get their heads out of the sand when it comes to the safety and security of their children. Ignorance is not going to protect their kids. Parents need to talk with their kids and train them on a regular basis about exactly what to do if they ever find themselves in a dangerous situation, whether in the form of a physical confrontation or even over the internet in a chat room somewhere. Just telling your kids not to talk to strangers is not enough! Many children are abused or taken by someone actually known to the child or the family.

ee: Are there any other likeminded security and emergency preparedness organizations or programs that you particularly endorse or recommend that parents get involved with or tune into?

am: Of course tuning into the Code Red! show for the latest personal security, safety, and emergency preparedness tips (visit: www.coderedradioshow.com) is always my first recommendation! In addition, be sure to keep up to date with information through your local law enforcement or even your local/state/federal emergency management agency’s website—and don’t forget non- profit organizations such as one of our direct partners, the National Crime Prevention Council  (visit: www.ncpc.org) or the National Safety Council (visit: www.nsc.org).

As far as my personal endorsement goes, the best course of action parents and guardians can take right this very moment to greatly increase the safety of their children from newborns all the way through college is to invest in the proven prevention system available exclusively through our direct partner, Child Shield USA (see their brief, thought-provoking video at: www.mykidsbodyguard.com).

ee: What is the most rewarding or satisfying part of what you do?

am: All of my sworn police work these days working uniformed patrol and other crime prevention details is strictly volunteer. I don’t earn a dime for my time doing my part to keep citizens safe in one of the most dangerous areas of Washington, DC. My time with my radio show has also been a true labor of love that has cost me plenty of time, energy, and money. But I do receive tremendous reward and satisfaction knowing that if the information, tips, and strategies that my expert team of personal security and safety advisors and I share with listeners results in the saving of even one life or keeps one person from becoming another needless victim in another senseless act of violence, then it has all truly been worth it and I wouldn’t change the experience for anything else in the world!
 
Stay Safe!

Tune into www.coderedradioshow.com and www.mykidsbodyguard.com  to put Alfred’s knowledge and expertise to work protecting you and your family.

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ee: What is the most important aspect of your work?
ka: Working with young people. Whether it’s writing for that audience and seeing their reaction to the work, or teaching them how to write and publish. Either way, it's magical to see the creative light bulb go off in their heads. It's like, "Wow, I can do that with words?"

ee: To date, what has been your most meaningful BID experience? 
ka: Each school is different. Each student is special. I don't have a most meaningful as of yet. Which is to say that I am moved each time I complete a BID. Inevitably, it's the students whose lives are filled with serious challenges—teen pregnancy, home problems, etc.—that inspire me. When they get that there is power in poetry. In publishing. And they realize how to take hold of it; it's quite meaningful. Of course, each time I see a group of students in Washington, DC embrace book publishing—something that is supposed to be so high-brow, so intellectual—I know I'm doing the “write” thing!

ee: What is most "laugh-friendly" about your work with students and young people?
ka: Some of the poems are so dark. The whole teen angst thing is real. But, I tell you, when we start writing limericks and clerihews, it's nothin' but funny:

Nsync
Stink
Their Music Hurts My Ears
I much Prefer Brittany Spears

The students are able to see the wide range of emotion that poetry affords.

ee: Poetry is often viewed as an irrelevant genre, perhaps especially by young people. What about poetry is compelling to the students you encounter? Why do they enjoy writing it?
ka: Quite the contrary. It's the adults who view poetry as irrelevant. Because they don't get it, or don't take the time to get it. Kids are writing poetry all the time—in their diaries, on MySpace, in their notebooks. It's short, concise, full of emotion and image. It's like squeezing a lemon and making lemonade. Who doesn't like lemonade? Of course, to make good lemonade, you have to have the right amount of proper ingredients—sweet rhythm, figurative language, etc.

ee: What do you want readers to come away from Crush: Love Poems with? Do you have a favorite poem?
ka: I wrote Crush for all the teens who are trying to understand love. To give them a context to talk about it, to laugh about it, to not take it so seriously. My favorite poem in Crush is "In my closet…"

ee: What inspires your work? Why did you start BID? What do you hope students come away from the BID experience with?
ka: My family. My wife inspires my love poems. My daughter inspired Crush. The people I know and meet inspire me daily. I started BID because I could. Because I know book publishing like Tiger knows golf. And, as the old saying goes, "If you know, teach." High school students are given up on, in terms of mentoring and especially literacy. We focus on early and elementary literacy, but forget about the older kids. I figured a good way to get students excited about reading and writing was to give them the opportunity to become authors, to take pride in their creativity.

ee: What message are you most passionate about spreading in your work with young people?
ka: It's all about love. There are worlds of words to visit in books. Poetry is power. Love. Words. Power.

www.kwamealexander.com
www.capitalbookfest.org
http://www.bookinaday.org

[Publisher] publishes Crush: Love Poems.

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ee: How was Big Universe born? Have you always been a fan of children’s books? Did any particular individual or company inspire you to undertake this endeavor?
ah: I have always been a fan of children’s picture books because these portray such a magical world, unlike the crazy world we live in. I was inspired to start Big Universe after twenty years of helping large companies build boring software systems and publishing technology articles and books. Having sold a company, I was looking to do something very different, something that would combine my passion and software/internet technology skills to help make our world a better place. After a lot of thinking, I felt the best place to start making a difference in the world was through education and the next generation, our kids. So, I decided to create a website for reading and creating beautiful children’s books. This is how Big Universe was born.

ee: Besides the Nana Star series, do you have any favorite stories on the site? Any favorite create-your-own stories that stand out?
ah: We have many great books on our site from both publishers and our members, so it’s tough to pick favorites. Let’s see… Some of my favorites are The Tree (from Illumination Arts), One Potato (from Mathew Price), I Don't Want To Go (from Lobster Press), and Grandma's Feather Bed (from Dawn Publications). Many of my favorite books can be found in my virtual bookshelf on Big Universe: www.biguniverse.com/bookshelf/anil.

ee: Is there a Big Universe feature that’s most popular?
ah: Not surprisingly, our two most popular features are reading and creating books. People love the ability to read wonderful books from our publishers online, using our Big Universe Reader software. They also love being able to express their talents using our Big Universe Author tool. For example, at present, about 10,000 books are read on our site monthly and since March 2008, we have had over 1,500 books created. So you can see that these features are quite popular with our members.

ee: What kinds of people is Big Universe reaching out to?
ah: Over 50% of our audience is made up of parents, teachers, & students (kids). The remainder is a combination of authors/illustrators, librarians, and others.

ee: What’s most laugh-friendly about Big Universe?
ah: It is really satisfying to see that so many people absolutely love our site! Between the thousands of books read and hundreds created each month, we have definitely struck a nerve. Also, reading blogs that rave about our site not only confirms what we see in our web statistics, but also is very rewarding and highly encouraging, particularly when you hit low-points in the process of running a business.

To read Anil’s favorite stories, browse thousands of others, or to become a member and create your own bookshelf and e-books (along with the many other features that make the site pretty awesome), visit www.biguniverse.com. And, of course, you can read Nana Star online while you’re there: www.biguniverse.com/read/353!

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ee: What was the inspiration behind the company? How did Amy Adele get started?
cd: Family has been the inspiration behind Amy Adele. Since childhood, Amy has been hand-drawing birthday and Christmas cards for friends and family. Although she never took her art very seriously, her family envisioned her designs on more than just a handful of cards each year. The idea of selling her designs seemed laughable. "Would anyone really want to buy my artwork?" she wondered. "I don't have an art degree. I'm just a simple mom with two sweet girls and enjoy drawing with colored pencil." However, her family would not give up and with much encouragement the idea behind AmyAdele.com began to take shape in 2004. After months of drawing, business planning, and website development, AmyAdele.com was launched November 15, 2005.

ee: What sets Amy Adele children’s stationery apart?
cd: The uniqueness of Amy Adele’s designs is rooted in a simple philosophy of focusing on customer personalization with cute, simple artwork that matches a child’s interests and personality. Every design is hand-drawn with colored pencil by Amy and always on white paper. Avoiding computer graphics and other distractions keeps Amy’s collection fun and simple.

Another unique feature of Amy’s children's stationery is the affordable pricing. Amy Adele stationery is typically 50% less than other children’s stationery. Being a direct to consumer manufacturer helps keep Amy Adele’s products affordable. But it isn’t just about having the lowest price; thick, high-quality paper with a dedicated customer service team is critical. Amy Adele’s staff takes great pride in their attention to detail.

cd: What does Amy Adele most want customers to get from her designs?
aa: Joy. Joy that puts a smile on a child’s face. Joy that comes from a child who receives a gift of personalized stationery tailored just for them. Joy that comes to the recipient of a child’s thank you note. And joy that comes with a mother’s pride that her child has taken the time to thank friends and family for gifts and great times. Amy Adele’s goal is to bring joy to whoever comes in contact with her hand-drawn and personalized products.

ee: What’s the company’s most popular product? Is there a favorite illustration?
cd: Amy’s most popular design is her choo choo train on folded stationery. Toddler boys also like Amy’s cruisin’ and fire engine designs on note cards and t-shirts. Girls love fairies and flowers on party invitations and labels. However, Amy’s favorite illustration is her little happy monkey, which also happens to be a top-seller.

ee: Why is thank you note-writing important for kids in this age of electronic media?
cd: In this day and age, a handwritten thank you note can mean more than it used to. Everyone loves the convenience and speed of email and other electronic communication. For this very reason AmyAdele.com exists online. But stopping to write a note of thanks communicates an especially grateful and genuine heart (no matter the age). Amy Adele believes in teaching children that thanks and joy should be shared with those we love in a way that communicates special effort and is just as valuable for the child as it is for the recipient.

ee: What’s most laugh-friendly about Amy Adele (the company itself and/or your products)?
cd: Personalized stationery and invitations aren’t necessary... they’re a treat! Amy Adele’s staff loves sending gifts that customers have enjoyed personalizing. It’s a pleasure to know these customers will be happy to tear open their package and find their little creations inside!

Check out the choo choo, happy monkey, and the rest of Amy’s cute collection at www.amyadele.com. We’re sure you’ll find the perfect paper to match your child’s personality.

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ee: What sorts of things can visitors expect from your site?
lj: Although Be Kind to Humankind Week will be 20 years old in August, we have been online for just 1 ½ years. Bekindweek.org features positive “Kind Acts in Action” along with a variety of heartwarming and funny stories. The site is easy to navigate, and I would suggest that visitors read what BK2HK is all about first, and then proceed to enjoy the different stories and videos. We will be adding new stories as time goes by.

ee: What’s the message you’re most passionate about spreading?
lj: BK2HK’s most passionate message is this: the news media generally focuses on the negative aspects of people. Gore sells more is the fuel behind the news media’s very existence. All BK2HK asks is that news stations and papers try to balance their stories. We know that there is evil in the world, but BK2HK also knows that the good far outweighs the bad. We just do not hear about goodness as often. BK2HK would love to see the front page of newspapers include a balanced selection of editorials, and perhaps a nice, colorful, uplifting photo.

ee: What’s most laugh-friendly about Be Kind to Humankind?
lj: Its main message. Most people are good people. Inner guidance is a wonderful thing and we must not throw all caution to the wind and trust everyone; however, with that being said, we can still share our kindness, help, smiles, and laughter with others! I would hope that after reading BK2HK’s messages visitors feel light-hearted and happier. BK2HK is a fun read!

Lorraine enthusiastically encourages you to submit a "Kind Act in Action" story to be posted on www.bekindweek.org.

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ee: What was the inspiration behind the book?
mh: The inspiration for the entire project, in the beginning, was just to somehow get involved in the rebuilding process along the Gulf Coast. I was watching coverage on the one year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and was struck by how little had been done…how many had been forgotten. I remember thinking, “What will be the ramifications of an entire generation of Mississippi children being sent the message that they don’t count, that their lives don’t matter and that they are forgotten?” That day I visited an elementary school in Colorado and had students begin writing letters inside of some of my books. When I saw what the students were writing I knew something special was taking place. That day the project Letters From Katrina was born.

ee: What do you hope readers (both adults and kids) take away from Letters from Katrina?
mh: I hope adults find inspiration in our youngest generation. Children don’t ask about race, gender, religion or economic status. The children want simply to help, to make a contribution and freely share their friendship, hope and inspiration with total strangers.

I hope that when children read the book it reminds them of the ability they have to change the world simply by sharing with others words of encouragement and friendship.

Reading the book, everyone will be reminded of the five words that will change the world: “Will you be my friend?”

ee: Do you have a favorite letter or photograph in the book?
mh: There are so many great letters and pictures, but there is one letter from a 5th grader that I think captures the true essence of the project. He took the book, found a corner in the gym, and two minutes later brought the book back with the following words:

"Sometimes you have to tear down the walls of convention with a wrecking ball of creativity."

Many times I think we, as a society, are at a place where all of us need to get creative, find our own gifts and talents, and begin sharing them with society to tear down the walls of convention. It is up to each of us to be a part of the change we wish to see in the world. This project demonstrates what our youngest generation (soon to be our greatest generation) wishes to see in their world.

ee: What’s the Endowment all about?
mh: The endowment was created for the children and families in Hancock County, Mississippi and all of the profits from the Letters From Katrina book are donated to the endowment.

Currently only 15 % of the children in Hancock County can afford to go to college. My goal is to change that. The mission of the endowment is to create a scholarship for EVERY child in the county so that all who want to receive a college education can.

It was fun talking with the children throughout Mississippi and asking them about their goals and dreams. Many of them had the same goals that all our children do. I will always remember one boy telling me he wanted to be the President of the U.S. one day.

Many of our goals and dreams are tied to education and I believe that every child should have the opportunity to receive a college education. Hopefully the endowment will make it a possibility for the incredible children who survived Hurricane Katrina.

ee: What has been most laugh-friendly about the project?
mh: The most laugh-friendly part of the project is watching the reaction people have when they read the book. The words are heartfelt, the images are powerful, and the message is life-changing. To see words from children inspire so many and even move them to tears has been the biggest reward of the project.

The second biggest reward is getting to do this interview with ee publishing, THE laugh-friendly company!

Make a difference today! Purchase your copy of Letters from Katrina and help every child in Mississippi understand that while the storm may have been able to wash away much of their past…it cannot touch their future!!!!

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ee: What do you hope readers take away from their reading experience?
ss: I want them never to underestimate the mind of a child and to recognize that children are to be loved, nurtured, guided, and protected. And to understand that where you come from doesn’t matter; it’s where you take yourself that’s important.

ee: What message are you most passionate about spreading? What can readers generally expect from your writing?
ss: In all of my work, my readers can generally expect to read about situational points to ponder. The dedication page of Bittersweet Diary reads like a "woman’s anthem." It reminds you that worth, wealth, and happiness are created from within. It holds a message of assertiveness for females of every age and reminds them that life should be what ee would call laugh-friendly.

ee: Are you at work on a new book? If so, what’s it about?
ss: I am working on the sequel to Bittersweet entitled “Decadent Journey.” I am also focusing on “Let’s Talk,” a book of fun, thought-provoking questions for kids designed to bring back the art of conversation (and laughter!).

ee: What’s most “laugh-friendly” about your books?
ss: Many of my books focus on what I call the “pink elephant theory,” where the problem is brought to the surface and challenges the reader to deal with it!

I think my readers will find it rewarding and fulfilling to know that my characters, though fictional, reflect parts of themselves and that we all have some of the same thoughts. I want readers to realize that they are not alone, that if we can just get together, we will find that we are more alike than different. We can all truly help one another…we’ve just got to get past ourselves. And that’s when inspiration, fun, and light-heartedness can flourish!

Bittersweet Diary can be purchased at www.bbotw.com or email Saundra directly at greysabyl@verizon.net.

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