A nine-year-old Guelph boy with a passion for writing has penned his second book with the goal of selling enough copies to build a school in Africa.
Zachary Collins began his mission back in May when he heard Marc Kielberger of Free the Children speak at his school.
That’s when he decided to use his writing for a bigger purpose. Zachary’s goal is to raise $8,500 for the international charity. He’s already raised about $2,000 with his first book.
“He is so motivated and so driven to reach his goal,” Zachary’s mother, Meghan Kirwin says. “When he reaches his goal I’m pretty sure he’ll set another one and work towards that.”
His latest book called “George & Madeline & The Chinese Dragon vs. The Pirates” is about two children trying to solve a problem. The illustrations for the book were created by Zachary’s teacher Debbie Wilson.
Zachary’s hoping the desire to make a difference will indeed prove contagious.
“It makes me feel that they actually care about what’s happening in the world and they want to make a change, too.” Zachary says.
Since 1995, Free the Children’s mission is to create a world where all young people are free to achieve their fullest potential as agents of change.
“We were founded on the youth helping youth. It’s a really great thing to demonstrate that no matter how old or how young or how small, you can do great things.” Alex Dyment of Free the Children says.
The event was held Saturday at the Chapters in Guelph. You can find the book at the Chapters in Guelph and https://www.facebook.com/zacharycollinsbooks
