At the start of the week, we asked our supporters to enter a Stand for Nothing contest. The phrase has become a bit of a mantra around our office during our current fundraising campaign for #zeroLRA. Nothing is zero, so we’re standing for it – no child soldiers, no killing, and no war. We tasked our supporters to literally stand for nothing – to plank, to Tebow, to owl, etc. – and submit their photos on Instagram or Twitter. The winner of the contest would win a seat at this summer’s 2014 Fourth Estate Summit.
We’ve been so impressed with every submission, but Jillian Shugrue‘s entries have us reeling. Jillian is a 16-year-old high school student at Lauralton Hall in Milford, Connecticut. She took the Stand for Nothing contest one step further than just an image – she asked her family and friends to explain why they are supporting #zeroLRA. The answers inspired us so much that we had to share:
“We need to take a stand for children around the globe because kids are innocent and should always be protected and loved.” – Jillian’s neighbor Brian
“IC seems like a very needed program. It’s incredibly sad that children are getting their futures stolen from them by the LRA. Thank heavens someone’s doing something about it because the history of the LRA is sick and disgusting. Just because we don’t live near those kids doesn’t mean that we can’t help them.”
– Jillian’s cousin Isabel
“I stand for nothing so that every person can realize the value of their life through services that Invisible Children provide that give them meaning that they otherwise would never know.”
– Jillian’s friend Abby
We are so encouraged by Jillian’s initiative to take the #zeroLRA mission into her life. Keep it up, Jillian.
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