ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — A 14-year-old who is already a published author is now turning his attention to a worthy cause.
DeJuan Strickland has started a GoFundMe page to raise money for his Team Tech Boy Lunch Heroes initiative, named after the main character of his book. In the GoFundMe description, he said 100% of the donations will go to offsetting student lunch balances.
"Food insecurity is a huge issue and I am doing what I can to combat it," he said on the fundraiser page.
If you would like to donate, click here.
"So I am asking for donations and anything you can give will help and is appreciated," he said in the GoFundMe page. "Thank you so much!"
5 On Your Side's Rene Knott first met Strickland in 2021. Then a seventh grader, he was already seeking to make a mark on the comic book community.
“I saw that there was a lack of Black protagonist and Black representation,” he said at the time.
And representation wasn't the only thing on his mind when creating the character of Tech Boy. He also wanted to enlighten kids like himself about the benefits of science, technology, engineering and math.
“It promotes Black and tech literacy and STEM. I decided to implement all the knowledge that I’ve had and put it into this story,” he said in 2021. “I feel like that’s important because a lot of kids especially of color don’t get this opportunity.”
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