Nicolas Cage Donates $2 Million to Help End Suffering of Child Soldiers

[Up2Late]

(Such a good story, and I can't find a single American Newspaper that picked up this story)
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL USA
PRESS RELEASE

June 28, 2006

Nicolas Cage Donates $2 Million to Help End Suffering of Child Soldiers

Amnesty International Will Administer Funds for On-the-ground Efforts to Rehabilitate Young Combatants

(New York) -- Amnesty International USA announced today that actor and filmmaker Nicolas Cage is donating $2 million to establish a fund to help former child soldiers, which will include support for rehabilitation shelters, medical services and psychological and reintegration services, and to support Amnesty International's work on child soldiers. Amnesty International, a member of the Coalition Against the Use of Child Soldiers, will administer the funds to service providers on the ground. Amnesty International, Oxfam and International Action Network on Small Arms are focusing on encouraging the United States to lead efforts to establish strict guidelines on the international transfer of small arms and light weapons.

"We thank Nicolas for his extremely generous contribution," said Larry Cox, Amnesty International USA's Executive Director. "As an Amnesty International member, Nicolas has worked tirelessly to raise awareness about the horrors faced by child soldiers and other human rights tragedies. We commend his efforts and appreciate his generosity."

Cox will make the formal announcement tonight in New York at a press conference during the United Nations Review Conference on the Program of Action on Small Arms. Cage will speak about his motivation to provide this generous gift via a videotaped statement to be shown prior to and during a concert at The Supper Club. The event is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. at the Supper Club, located at 240 W. 47th Street.

The concert, to raise awareness of the Control Arms Campaign, will feature live performances by international stars including four-time Grammy nominee, Angelique Kidjo, South African actor and musician Zola and Colombian band Alma Parlantes, who play guitars made from guns. In addition, testimonies from survivors of armed violence will be read by actresses Rosario Dawson and Piper Perabo.

"Think about the nine months it took for your child to be born; think about all the care you put into teaching him how to cross the street and look both ways or to read a book or to simply have good manners. Then imagine a warlord dropping a gun into his hand and forcing him to kill someone. He's eight years old. He hasn't kissed a girl yet or fallen in love, but he's killed a man. What does that do to a child's mind? Sounds like a nightmare? It's reality for some families," says Cage in his video statement.

Around the world today, children are increasingly both war's victims and its combatants. An estimated 300,000 children under the age of 18 are currently participating in armed conflicts in more than 30 countries on nearly every continent. While most child soldiers are in their teens, some are as young as seven years old.

Cage has been working closely with Amnesty International USA for the past 2 1/2 years. Amnesty International collaborated with Cage and filmmakers on the film Lord of War to raise awareness about the international Control Arms Campaign. Cage also supported AI's Stop Violence Against Women campaign.

Contact: Sharon Singh, 202-544-0200 x289.

Join Nicolas in supporting Amnesty's work. »

<http://www.amnestyusa.org/news/document.do?id=ENGUSA20060628001>

[snappyturtle]

1. HE IS "SOMETHING"...

wonderful! The repukes can bash the movie stars all they want at least the stars put their money where their mouths are. I think I heard on a re-run last night of Democracy Now that Nicolas will be part of the white house hunger strike on the 4th with Cindy Sheehan and Code Pink and Gold Star families.

[mrsadm]

2. great news

thanks for posting.

I think it is wonderful how some celebrities use their fame to promote good causes. Leonardo di Caprio was on Oprah yesterday talking about global warming and what the average person can do about it.

[Divernan]

3. Quite admirable, noble generosity.

The gifts of people like Buffet and Gage, in addition to the immediate good they do in addressing problems like AIDS or child soldiers at an international level, serve as powerful examples to others to do what good they can for others (the much neglected golden rule) and also remind the rest of the world that many individual Americans are not bloodthirsty, consumed-with-greed racists, but rather continue to be a force for good in the world.

(Now can we avoid any whining responses that he could have given the money to some other charity, or "But there are violent, mentally ill kids in the US." )

[Divernan]

4. Rest of the article

Note to OP. Copywrite laws limit the number of paragraphs which can be reproduced in posts -to 4 paragraphs. Therefore, I expect one of the mods will cut part of your post, or tell you too. So assuming you keep the first 4 paragraphs, here are the rest.

Nicolas Cage Donates $2 Million to Help End Suffering of Child Soldiers

"Think about the nine months it took for your child to be born; think about all the care you put into teaching him how to cross the street and look both ways or to read a book or to simply have good manners. Then imagine a warlord dropping a gun into his hand and forcing him to kill someone. He's eight years old. He hasn't kissed a girl yet or fallen in love, but he's killed a man. What does that do to a child's mind? Sounds like a nightmare? It's reality for some families," says Cage in his video statement.

Around the world today, children are increasingly both war's victims and its combatants. An estimated 300,000 children under the age of 18 are currently participating in armed conflicts in more than 30 countries on nearly every continent. While most child soldiers are in their teens, some are as young as seven years old.

Cage has been working closely with Amnesty International USA for the past 2 1/2 years. Amnesty International collaborated with Cage and filmmakers on the film Lord of War to raise awareness about the international Control Arms Campaign. Cage also supported AI's Stop Violence Against Women campaign.

[Up2Late]

7. Sorry, not when it's a Press Release, which this is.

...One of the goals of a Press Release is because you want it reprinted "as is," reprinting in full is the goal, even though it rarely happens.

[Totally Committed]

5. Just another one of those creepy Hollywood Liberals...

:sarcasm:

... whose generosity and compassion is mocked and disredited constantly by the RW smear-machine.

Bravo, Nicholas!

TC

[tanyev]

6. Yeah, celebrities should not be allowed to express their opinions.

Unless it's Reba McEntire, Patricia Heaton, Charlie Daniels, or Tom Selleck.



:sarcasm:

[Up2Late]

8. Yeah, couldn't he just put that 2 Million toward a bigger, emptier, house

...in Beverly Hills or out in the the middle of Wyoming? :sarcasm:

[MasonJar]

9. There are so many compassion and caring people in this universe.

How did we end up with a government of greedy bastards?