Bush Asks Kids to Send $1 for Afghan Children

In the closing remarks of his East Room news conference Thursday night, President Bush announced the formation of “America’s Fund for Afghan Children,” inviting every American child to contribute $1 to the new relief effort.

The idea for the fund was Bush’s, according to Karen Hughes, the president’s counselor.

She said Bush came up with the notion earlier this week during Oval Office conversations with aides as they prepared for a speech he is to deliver today to the March of Dimes leadership conference here.

Bush’s proposal springs from the famed fund-raising drive used by the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, founded in 1938 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, a victim of polio.

Comedian Eddie Cantor coined the phrase “march of dimes”--playing on the popular newsreel feature of that era, “The March of Time.” The entertainer appealed to radio listeners all over the country to send contributions directly to the White House for the group.

The organization funded research that led to vaccines against polio.

Bush said this new special relief effort will be supervised by the Red Cross and urged donors to send contributions to the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington, D.C. 20500.

He called it “an opportunity to help others while teaching our own children a valuable lesson about service and character.”

“I hope school classes or Boys and Girl Scout troops, other youth organizations will participate in any way to raise the money to send to the children,” he said. “Wash a car. Do a yard for a neighbor. And I hope the adults will help them as well.”