Page 4 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • June 16, 2010 Glen Rock The Christopher Barron Live Life Foundation recently launched a comic book writing program for 78 fifth graders at School 21 in Paterson. The children’s comic book creations were later displayed at the Paterson Museum as part of the Paterson Art Walk. Suzanne Andora Barron of Glen Rock created the foundation to honor the life of her son Christopher who died in 2007 at the age of nine from leukemia and to instill his compassion and zest for life by providing children with unique opportunities to live life and pursue interests about which Christopher was most passionate. The foundation also strives to empower children by encouraging them to earn such opportunities through dedication and hard work. “Christopher’s Comic Book Inspirations” consisted of four weekly workshops taught by Alex Simmons, a professional writer of comic books and other fictional materials. Fifth grade students participate in comic writing Fifth graders from Paterson School 21 participated in the final workshop of Christopher’s Comic Book Inspirations, a fourweek comic book writing workshop led by professional comic book writer Alex Simmons and sponsored by the Christopher Barron Live Life Foundation. Pictured are Foundation President Suzanne Andora Barron, Manuel Diaz, Na’Angel Hodge, Jasmine Rodriguez, Alex Simmons, Zaire Williams, and Syriaha Brown-Cobb. Suzanne Andora Barron, talks with Elijah Ellerbee about his comic. “Through my workshops, and the Kid’s Comic Con, I’ve spent a good deal of my life helping children explore their creativity and imagination,” Simmons said. “So I welcome this opportunity to work with the Christopher Barron Live Life Foundation, and considering the inspiration behind their mission, I feel even more privileged to be a part of their first major program.” The students from School 21 were introduced to the process of creating comic strips from idea to finished art. They also practiced figure drawing while experiencing the process of creating their own characters and comic strip stories, including developing plots, penciling, lettering, and inking skills. “Christopher had a good life filled with hope and opportunities that many children do not have,” said Suzanne Andora Barron. “We are thrilled to share some of these opportunities with School 21’s fifth graders. Our goals are to help the children improve their writing skills, believe in themselves and the power of their imaginations, and expose them to new adventures. Furthermore, we are delighted to have someone of Alex’s caliber lead the workshops and be our foundation advisor.” Following the completion of the four-week workshop, a contest was held at the school which offered the fifth grad- ers the opportunity to apply their new skills to create a fourpanel comic strip with an original character and story-line in pencil and ink. The winning entries were selected based on originality and execution and judged by a panel of professional illustrators, including Fernando Ruiz of Archie Comics, Jamal Igle of DC Comics, and John Gallagher, creator of the Buzzboy Series. First place winners attended the Kids Comic Con at Bronx Community College and had the chance to view their winning entries on display. Second place winners received a “Create Your Own Comic Book Kit” donated by Canson. All winning entries are on display at the Kids Comic Con website (www.kidscomiccon. com) and the foundation’s website (www.christopherbarronlivelife.org) “We are so impressed by all that the children accomplished both during the four-week program and the contest,” Barron added. “We are so honored and grateful to have nationally acclaimed illustrators serve as our judges. To think that all of this transpired from Christopher’s love of creating comics is inspiring and a testament to all that can be done when children are offered the opportunity.” Christopher Barron Live Life Foundation is a public 501(C) (3) non-profit organization. For more information, visit www.christopherbarronlivelife.org. 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