FM107 Launches Fun Drive With ARC

American Refugee Committee
Monday, 28 April 2003

The "Kid 2 Kid" campaign will bring healing to the children of Iraq

With the children of Iraq recovering from war and years of poverty, a Twin Cities radio station, FM107, has launched a campaign to help. The "Kid 2 Kid Summer Fun Drive" will raise money for toys, recreation equipment, and art supplies for Iraqi kids. The American Refugee Committee will act as purchaser and distributor, utilizing its existing framework for humanitarian aid distribution within Iraq.

FM107's Ian Punnett developed the idea after a discussion on his radio show shortly after U.S. operations began in Iraq. Listeners were searching for an effective and appropriate way to react to the war. The concept for distributing toys in Iraq was modeled after the U.S. Marine Corp's "Toys for Tots" campaign.

Punnett selected the American Refugee Committee as the radio station's partner in this campaign. ARC, a Twin Cities humanitarian aid organization, began distributing aid in Iraq on April 18, 2002. Through its partnership with the Iraqi Refugee Aid Council (IRAC), ARC anticipates playing a significant role in humanitarian operations throughout Iraq's recovery and reconstruction period.

ARC's experience in post-conflict settings points to the importance of play and recreation as a way for children to begin the healing process. In programs ARC has managed in the Balkans, playground equipment, crayons, and sports have been critical to helping kids deal with trauma, and rebuild their sense of community and security.

Fundraising activities and events are in the planning stages. For more information on the "Kid 2 Kid Summer Fun Drive", visit http://www.kid2kidfundrive.org or to donate, click here.

FM107 is a new, conversation-based radio station affiliated with KSTP. For more information on programming, please visit www.fm107.fm.

The American Refugee Committee has been working to ease the suffering of the victims of war for nearly 25 years. ARC is a nonprofit humanitarian relief organization that works for the survival, health and well-being of refugees and displaced persons caught in the crossfire of civil violence, warfare, and other disasters. For more information, contact Martha Naegeli at 612-607-6481.

For more information, or to contact American Refugee Committee, see their website at: www.archq.org