I have been active in children’s programming for 50-plus years. I keep seeing news of kids as victims of every kind of violence and neglect. Kids who are behaving need encouragement. Kids who aren’t need encouragement even more. We need to quit expecting government to fix things. We can work on it right now. Today, I’m going to ask each reader of this newspaper and however many you can expand from there to just take 15-20 minutes to sit down and write a letter to a child or a teen. Tell them what you think is special about them and how they impact your life. Use real ink and real paper and see that it’s delivered by “Sneaker-net.” If we want more great adults we need to encourage more great kids.

So many kids today see little value in their lives. We need to help them realize that they are important to us and to our future. Tell them you know they aren’t finished yet but you know they have many good qualities and lots of potential. There is plenty of time for them to grow, to be forgiven, to seek help from good adults who can try to answer their questions.

Today, Camp Fire celebrates Absolutely Incredible Kid Day®. Across the country, Camp Fire teens and caring adults will be writing letters to kids. Join us. Take a few minutes and write a child, tell them they matter, that they always will. Perhaps if a youth hears it enough and believes it, he or she won’t resort to violence or retreat into suicide. Tell them right now. Make a difference today.

Barbara George

Camp Fire Snohomish County

CampFireSnoCo.org