Our Let’s Go!:A Kids Comics Studio Anthology is now 200% percent funded. It feels amazing to realize that two of my stories will be in print, thanks to the support of all the people who have backed our campaign. But even more thrilling to me is being able to share the success of our Kickstarter campaign with an organization I have long admired.

When we were setting up our campaign, we wanted to use our hard work and creativity to give back, so we chose two organizations for our “Community Tier.” One of them is Rising Star Outreach, a charity I have a connection with, and would like even more people to know about.

The founder’s story blew me away when I read about it several years ago. Becky Douglas lost her oldest daughter to a long-time battle with mental illness. When she discovered that her daughter had been donating to an orphan in India, Becky flew to the country to connect the dots. While she was there, she was shocked to see that so many of the beggars coming to her for help had leprosy, something she thought was a thing of the past. When she returned home, she wept, wishing that someone would do something to help, then decided that she would be that someone.

With no degrees or business experience, she founded Rising Star Outreach, which treats leprosy-affected people, offering cures, employment training, and K-12 education for children affected by leprosy. The legacy of her daughter blossomed into an organization that has saved the lives of adults and children who would otherwise have been left to languish. It’s truly an amazing organization. You can watch the short video below or the longer one, which I can’t embed in my post, so I’ve added the link here: https://youtu.be/l5GdO4_e16o?si=plY6YOlr74HNQXd6

I know that for many people, times are tough and we’d all like to do more than we can, but even if you can’t donate to this organization, you can spread the word. Very few people realize that leprosy still affects people today. Awareness makes a difference. Follow Rising Star Outreach on Instagram or Facebook.  

I also want to mention the other charity we’ve partnered with that another member of the anthology team has a personal connection with: Autism Empowerment. Some of our anthology contributors are neurodivergent, and knowing the power of graphic novels in helping with social cues, among other things, they really wanted to partner with an organization that served neurodivergent youth.

Again, if you can’t financially support these organizations, just sharing their information on your platforms really helps.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and thank you for tuning in to one of the most important posts I feel I’ve ever done.