After some rapid-fire emails back and forth and some even more rapid-fire postings in kidlit spheres around the interwebs, #KidlitForAleppo was a go. Dana explains it all so much more eloquently than I ever could in this post. (Side note: Do you see why I'm friends with her?)
Since then, we've been blown away by the response from this community. We never expected it to grow into anything so large, and it's a testament to how open hearted and passionate all of you are. The final stats for #KidlitForAleppo are:
100+ authors/editors/agents/kidlit people
150+ donations
$4000+ raised for The White Helmets, Doctors Without Borders, International Rescue Committee, and other organizations doing work on the ground in Aleppo.
IN TWO DAYS. It's unbelievable, and I know I haven't even captured all the numbers, and they're probably much larger.
A huge thank you to everyone who offered prizes, donated funds, or took the time to signal boost. Thank you for pushing through that feeling of powerlessness and Doing Something. I can't tell you how grateful Dana and I are. You are all amazing human beings, and we are so proud to be a part of this community.
I'm going to end with Dana's words because I like them so much.
The whole “light a candle instead of cursing the darkness thing” — it can feel pointless. After all, one candle doesn’t feel like much. But when everyone lights a candle…
Well. The light gets brighter, that’s all.
I think the light just got a whole lot brighter.
