Gunnar Swanson, an Iraq War veteran and program manager of War Kids Relief, talked with about 45 children Monday at Ardmore’s YMCA Day Camp.
Swanson’s stop at the local YMCA’s camp is one of dozens of similar visits he plans to make during his 10-week 1,000-mile walk to raise funds for War Kids Relief, a nonprofit organization that supports children traumatically affected by war.
Swanson calls his personal walk effort “A Soldier’s March for Peace.” The foot-journey will take him from Dallas to Northfield, Minn.
“War Kids Relief and our fundraising event, ‘A Soldier’s March for Peace,’ are not about politics,” he said, adding the organization’s initiatives are aimed at assisting children in Iraq, Afghanistan and the United States.
The relief effort includes:
* Rehabilitation and Jobs Skills Training Center in Mosul, Iraq — a center for Iraqi children involved in armed conflict and militias.
* Vocational Training and Development Center in Khost, Afghanistan — a project devoted to teenagers with no post-high school education options or job opportunities.
* Peer Mentorship Program — designed to support American teenage children of soldiers deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq.
* The Young Ambassador program — connects American and Iraqi youth through a cultural exchange and curriculum.
During his talk with the children he met at the local YMCA, he shared a number of personal stories and photographs of Iraqi and Afghan children.
He said his goal is to inspire youth and get them involved in staging their own fundraising projects. He also collects letters of friendship, authored by American children, that he plans to deliver to children in Iraq and Afghanistan following his 1,000-mile trek.
The veteran’s stop in Ardmore prompted an outpouring of personally penned letters. Swanson shared the following excerpts from some of the letters he collected Monday:
“Dear Kids of Iraq and Afghanistan,
“My name is Bella. I’m 9 years old. I live in Ardmore, OK. I have 10 friends. My favorite subject is math. And my favorite animal is a cat. If some of you out there are afraid don’t worry, just have hope.”
“Hi, my name is Maddy. I’m seven years old and I am a girl. I wish you peace. I wish I could do more.”
“I’m Brianna. It is nice to meet you. I’m from America and I live in Ardmore, OK. I am so happy to meet you and I hope you become my friend. Best friends, me and you.”
Swanson said his 1,000-mile walk is aimed at providing Americans with a way to offer their support.
“The people of the U.S. want ways to support children affected by war. They also want a concrete way to support our troops. What better way to do both than to keep the children of these war-torn countries out of the hands of insurgents and prevent their use of these children as tools of war?
War Kids Relief provides this opportunity,” he said.
More information at War Kids Relief can be found online at www.warkidsrelief.org.
Marsha Miller 221-6529
