By: E&P Staff More than a dozen Universal Press Syndicate creators participated in an unusual Christmas-gift effort that helped a sick young man from Kansas City as well as children's hospitals across the country.
The young man was 18-year-old Derek Slinger, whose parents had died of cancer and who has cancer himself. To qualify for an Eagle Scout badge, Slinger wanted to create a coloring book based on a poem he had written for his younger sister, Leslee Ann, and then distribute copies of the book to children's hospitals.
The Kansas City-based Universal learned about this project, and asked its creators to contribute illustrations to accompany Slinger's poem. And a group of anonymous benefactors who call themselves the "Elves of Christmas Present" made plans for 20,000 copies of the coloring book to go to more than 200 children's hospitals nationwide.
Four Universal creators contributed existing art to the book, and the others drew new illustrations, according to Kathie Kerr, the syndicate's director of communications. The creators included Bill Amend ("FoxTrot"), Mike Baldwin ("Cornered"), Carlos Castellanos ("Baldo"), Jim Davis ("Garfield"), Betty Debnam/illustrator Wendy Daley ("The Mini Page"), Chip Dunham ("Overboard"), Paul Gilligan ("Pooch Cafe"), Jillian Gilliland ("Tell Me a Story"), Rob Harrell ("Big Top"), Bill Hinds ("Cleats"), Steve Moore ("In the Bleachers"), Mark Pett ("Lucky Cow"), Mark Tatulli ("Heart of the City"), and Tom Wilson ("Ziggy").
Slinger qualified for his Eagle Scout badge.
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