01 February 2007
Lemonade Stands Carry on Girl's Effort to
Raise Money to Fight Cancer
Also: a listener in Russia asks which states are the most popular to live in, and music from an album
recorded to aid the women of Darfur, Sudan.
HOST:
Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC, in VOA Special English.
(MUSIC)
I'm Doug Johnson. On our show this week:
We answer a question about popular American states…
Play some music recorded to help women in Darfur, Sudan…
And report about a little girl's efforts to find a cure for cancer.
Alex's Lemonade Stand
HOST:
Six years ago, four-year-old Alexandra Scott started selling a lemon drink in front of
her house near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She wanted to earn money to give to
childhood cancer research. Alexandra suffered from a kind of cancer called
neuroblastoma. She died in two thousand four. But the effort she started is still
raising money for cancer research. Barbara Klein has more.
BARBARA KLEIN:
Alexandra Scott held a lemonade sale outside her house every
year until her death. She also influenced others to give money to
fight cancers that affect children.
The program that young Alexandra started is called Alex’s
Lemonade Stand Foundation. Its Web site says that more than
four thousand lemonade stands have been held throughout the
United States to raise money for cancer research. Children,
families, retired people, and college students organize these
events.
Alex wanted to raise one million dollars to help find a cure for children’s cancers.
When she died in two thousand four, she knew that her goal was near. Her charity
had raised more than nine hundred thousand dollars. Earlier this month, Alex’s
Alexandra Scott
Lemonade Stand Foundation announced that it had given more than ten million dollars
to help children with cancer.
The foundation supports cancer research in thirty hospitals throughout the United
States. It provides money to develop improved cancer treatments for children.
Money goes to experienced researchers working on cancer cures as well as new
researchers with promising ideas.
Much of the money collected by Alex’s lemonade stands is in small amounts and
comes from children. Alex’s mother and father lead the Foundation today. They told
reporters one reason for its success is because children feel good when they can help
other children. And they say that no amount is too small to help the more than twelve
thousand children in the United States who are found to have cancer every year.
Popular American States
HOST:
Our listener question this week comes from of Moscow, Russia. Kirill Lelin wants to
know which American states are the most popular to live in. In general, the states
that have warm weather are the fastest growing in population. Many people who retire
from their jobs want to live in an area that has nice weather.
The United States Census Bureau takes an official count of the nation's population
every ten years. But it also takes estimates of population growth within states each
year.
The Census Bureau released its most recent estimates in December of last year. The
estimates show that the western state of California still has the largest population. It
has more than thirty-six million people. The western state of Texas has more than
twenty-three million people. About nineteen million people live in the eastern state of
New York. And about eighteen million people live in the southern state of Florida.
The Census Bureau's recent estimates show that the western part of the country has
been growing the fastest. The South was next.
Texas gained more people than any other state between July of two thousand five and
July of two thousand six. Texas gained almost five hundred eighty thousand people.
Florida had the second highest increase. And California had the third. Both Florida and
California gained more than three hundred thousand people.
Two states in the Southwest also gained in population. Arizona
was the country's fastest-growing state, followed by Nevada. The
populations of the two states grew by about three and one-half
percent.
Some of the nation's population movement was caused by
Hurricane Katrina. That storm in August, two thousand five, hit the
Gulf Coast states of Louisiana and Mississippi. It caused many
deaths and major destruction. Louisiana lost more than two
Phoenix is the capital
of Arizona, America's
fastest-growing state
hundred thousand people during the one-year period. That number represents a loss
of almost five percent of the state's total population before the hurricane.
Music To Help Women in Sudan
(MUSIC)
HOST:
In recent years there have been many aid efforts to help the people of the Darfur area
of Sudan. Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts offers its help through a
new album. Faith Lapidus tells us more.
FAITH LAPIDUS:
During the nineteen eighties, humanitarian worker Linda Mason operated an aid
program in Sudan. Last year, she returned to Sudan with a group called Mercy Corps
to investigate war crimes in Darfur. They spoke to women who were victims of war.
And they gave the Sudanese women music written by students at the Berklee College
of Music. Miz Mason's husband, Roger Brown, is president of the college.
Berklee College of Music wanted to do more to help. The college
held a songwriting competition. The winners of the competition
recorded songs for an album called “We Are All Connected:
Berklee College of Music Reaches Out to the Women of Darfur.”
It is a collection of jazz, country, gospel and spoken word. Money
from the sale of the CD will help women and children in Darfur.
Here Abria Smith performs her song “Love Myself Instead.”
(MUSIC)
During Linda Mason’s trip to Sudan, she recorded Darfurian women singing their
traditional songs. Michael Conrad heard their emotional singing and used some of it in
his song. The words in “Side by Side” mean “Sing with me, stand with me, so that we
can create world peace.”
(MUSIC)
We leave you with another song from “We Are All Connected: Berklee College of
Music Reaches Out to the Women of Darfur.” Here is “Women of Darfur,” written by
Dave Weigert.
(MUSIC)
HOST:
I'm Doug Johnson. I hope you enjoyed our program today.
It was written by Brianna Blake, Lawan Davis and Nancy Steinbach. Caty Weaver was
our producer. To read the text of this program and download audio, go to our Web
site, voaspecialenglish.com.
And join us again next week for AMERICAN MOSAIC, VOA’s radio magazine in Special
English.
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