ChildFund and R.L. Stine to host Halloween-themed creative writing competition for kids

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 16, 2020

ChildFund and R.L. Stine to host Halloween-themed creative writing competition for kids

#MyScariestMonster Contest encourages children to write through their fears

Richmond, Va. September 16, 2020: This Halloween, ChildFund International, a nonprofit organization that works to help children around the world grow up healthy, learning and safe, is partnering with bestselling children’s horror author R.L. Stine to give kids an opportunity to express their deepest fears through creative writing. The #MyScariestMonster Contest launches today and invites children to craft and share original stories, fiction or nonfiction, about the scariest monster they can imagine – and how to overcome it. Submissions are due on October 14.

“This has been a scary year for all of us,” says Stine, of Goosebumps fame, who sponsors a child through ChildFund himself. “Unfortunately, kids aren’t immune to the stress, anxiety and fear. They’re trying to navigate the strange new world of virtual learning and accept the loss of normalcy that a pandemic has imposed upon us all. But I know that children are some of the most resilient people on the planet. They can and do adjust to new ways of learning, growing and being.”

The contest is open to kids ages 6-18 everywhere, including those enrolled in ChildFund’s programs, and provides an opportunity for parents and teachers alike to help children build literacy skills at home. Submissions will be judged by a panel including Stine, ChildFund President and CEO Anne Lynam Goddard and ChildFund sponsor Mick Foley, of professional wrestling fame, who is a bestselling children’s book writer himself. Winning stories will be announced on Halloween and displayed on ChildFund’s website, giving children the opportunity to become published writers. Winners will also receive an autographed book from Stine.

The contest draws from ChildFund’s more than 80 years of experience in helping children face the many challenges associated with extreme poverty. In the United States, ChildFund’s programs are designed specifically to help children process trauma through reading, writing and other imaginative activities.

“Storytelling and other modes of creative expression can help children cope with fears they are dealing with in their real lives by allowing them to talk about those fears and imagine ways to overcome them,” says Janella Nelson, ChildFund’s senior advisor for education. “Across the globe, we are seeing that these skills are equally important to academic skills – and when children master these skills, they are more likely to do better in school and in life.”

For more information about the contest and how to enter, visit ChildFund.org/my-scariest-monster or follow the organization on social media.

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About ChildFund

Founded in 1938, ChildFund works throughout Asia, Africa and the Americas — including the United States — to connect children with what they need to grow up healthy, educated, skilled and safe, no matter where they are. Last year, we reached 13.6 million children and family members in 24 countries. About 200,000 Americans support our work by sponsoring individual children or investing in ChildFund programs. Find out more at www.ChildFund.org.