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The American Immigration Law Foundation announced the winners of the 11^th annual "Celebrate America" Creative Writing Contest this week.

First place winner, Cameron P. Busby, 11, is a fifth grade student at Whitmore Elementary School in Tucson, Arizona. Busby, a Stephen King fan, beat out thousands of fifth grade students from around the country. According to Busby, the inspiration for his entry, "America is a Refuge," came from thinking about his ancestry, his immigrant friends and all the reasons why people might come to this country.

"I think a lot of immigrants are coming to this country," Busby said. "Some are not being treated as well as people who are citizens, but I think that for the most part America is a safe place. Our country is a little safer than other countries and lots of people come here for a better life. And I think that they do find it."

AILF sponsors the annual "Celebrate America" Creative Writing Contest in an ongoing effort to educate the public about the benefits of immigration to our society.

"The value of the annual essay contest is immeasurable," commented Ben Johnson, AILF'S Executive Director. "It gives America's youth the chance to express the finest of America's values. This year, Cameron's poem gives a voice to the voiceless. His poem brings to life the story of this great nation and its promise of freedom and hope for today's and tomorrow's newcomers. Cameron's words serve as a reminder of America's challenges and responsibilities of leadership in the 21st century."

According to Sharon Keown, Cameron's teacher at Whitmore Elementary, there are many challenges that arise in the classroom when teaching immigration, especially in Arizona.

"There is a lot of prejudice here in Arizona regarding illegal versus legal immigration," Keown said. "We integrate the topic of immigration into our social studies program at the beginning of the year and then I have my students look into their own family to see the immigration pattern there. We talk about the different countries everyone is from. But the immigration discussion really begins when I start explaining the naturalization process."

Keown, a teacher of 37 years, believes its Cameron's strengths as a writer, sensitivity to issues and quirkiness that make him an exceptional student and citizen.

"Cameron is an excellent writer," Keown said. "He's a very imaginative boy and very sensitive. I think that came out in his poetry. In fact, he wowed the whole class when he read the poem out loud. He's out there. But he's also concerned about a lot of serious issues. He's a deep thinker."

Other finalists include 2^nd place winner, Ananda Ewing-Boyd of Elsie Whitlow Stokes Public Charter School in Washington, D.C., 3^rd place winner Kasey Bruce of Sheridan Elementary School in San Francisco, CA and honorable mention winner Noah Dearth of Our Lady of the Ridge School in St. Worth, Illinois.

As a grand prize, Busby and his family will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to AILF's Annual Benefit Dinner in Vancouver, Canada, on June 27, 2008. AILF will honor Busby who will read his winning entry aloud at the Benefit Dinner. Busby also receives a travel stipend, engraved plaque, his winning entry printed in the Congressional Record and a flag flown over the U.S. Capitol in his honor.

This year's National Judging Panel for the contest included author and activist Mary Williams, Pulitzer Prize-nominated author Dave Eggers, Senator Ted Kennedy and author Gish Jen.

To read more on AILF's Fifth Grade Creative Writing Contest, including finalists' entries, a Q&A with Cameron Busby, judges' biographies and past winning entries, please visit AILF's website at http://www.ailf.org/awards/essaycontest/.

America is a Refuge

By Cameron Busby

Whitmore Elementary School

Tucson, Arizona

A small child holds out a hoping hand,

a crumb of bread,

or even a penny just to be fed

Hoping America is a refuge.

A child weeps over her mother's lifeless body,

the tears streaming down her face

Praying America is a refuge.

A child's torn sock blows in the wind,

as a bomb explodes the tiny sock catches a flame and begins to

burn to ash

Can America be a refuge?

A thirsty father and son seeking shade from the blazing sun,

all they want is a job

and for America to be a refuge.

America can be a refuge for you.

It can be a refuge for me.

I am glad that America is a refuge for all.

Estas palabras pueden hacer tanto daño en nuestros hijos a través de los años.

Este video nos muestra la forma exacta de como poner en práctica ejercicios de sobrevivencia en nuestros hijos pequeños.

¡Tu hijo se puede acostumbrar a la comida "chatarra" desde el vientre materno!

Con tantos problemas de obesidad infantil, los investigadores expertos en la materia se han dado a la tarea de llegar a los orígenes que causan esta terrible enfermedad que ataca a nuestros hijos y también a nosotros los adultos.

Imagino lo que tienen que padecer entre tantas infecciones que aparecen en todo el ciclo escolar. Seguramente muchas noches sin dormir, antibioticos, antigripales, antihistamínicos, entre lloriqueos y ausencias escolares.

Un científico Belga pudo demostrar que la mezcla entre orina, sudor, saliva y el cloro de una alberca produce gases toxico que los niños aspiran cuando toman sus clases de natación.

Recuerden que la sobreprotección no es la mejor de los tipos de educación, genera hijos poco seguros de si mismos con poca autonomía e independencia. Eso quieren los padres de Suri.

Denise Richards muy madura en su divorcio y protege a sus hijas aún de las malas lenguas. A veces los divorcios, como lo hemos platicado en otras ocasiones son necesarios, cuando la relación de la pareja ya no tiene solución.

Hoy en día nuestros hijos están más expuestos a campos de radiofrecuencia de teléfonos celulares que los adultos, dado que empiezan a utilizarlos a edades mucho más tempranas.

En Europa ha ido en aumento la cultura de la donación de Órganos. Si bien es cierto, es un tema del que no hablamos todos los días; sin embargo promoverlo puede ayudar a que fomentemos en nuestras familias la solidaridad para cuando alguien lo necesite aunque esto nos traiga mucho dolor y no precisamente físico.

La ciencia hoy en día esta muy avanzada y nos proporciona información que nos puede ser muy útil: ya que a veces ignoramos cuanto daño podemos causar con beber una copita o ponerse una buena borrachera estando embarazadas. ¿Difícil de creer no?

Tal vez pueda parecer un nombre paradojico sin embargo es cien por cierto real, la nintendonitis es una enfermedad que ataca a los niños fanáticos de los videojuegos, ¿quieres saber más? ....

Hace poco una noticia dio vuelta al mundo: el cautiverio por más de 24 años de una mujer austriaca quien fue abusada sexualmente y condenada al desequilibrio mental además de criar a 6 hijos de 7 que tuvo.

Madonna, es un tema del que se puede hablar de una mujer muchas veces sin escrúpulos y reventada como toda diva de la música pop, sin embargo ha demostrado también ser sensible y con un gran instinto materno.

Y es que como muchas artistas han reorientado sus carreras artísticas, saben de sobremanera que el publico de los niños es interminable y demandante.