Giving Back with Paul Petersen
"A Minor Consideration"
Children In Film, Inc. is not a non-profit or government owned agency. However, as part of our mission,
Children In Film gives 10% of the gross proceeds earned from the sale
of memberships to charities that support children in the United States
and around the world. As an Enhanced Member of Children In Film, you
share in the satisfaction and fulfillment of doing something great for
the children in our communities.
The charities
we chose for our launch last year were
dedicated to health and education programs as well as inspiring
personal and
social responsibility. Your membership has generated more than $7000
in donations since our launch last year and with your active
participation, we hope to double that in the coming year.
This year, Children In Film is proud to announce that 50% of the monies raised for charity will be
donated to Paul Peterson's non-profit organization, "A Minor Consideration," to honor and support the tireless
effort put forth on behalf of child actors.
We sat down with Paul Petersen
to find out more about "A Minor Consideration," and Paul explained why this organization is so committed to child actors.
"A Minor Consideration started in 1991 to provide
support and guidance to kid stars through the efforts of other kid
stars who had already negotiated the deadly transitions that give so
much trouble to young performers who achieve fame before adulthood,"
explained Petersen.
Paul explained that three highly-publicized suicides thrust the formation of AMC into reality.
"It
was no longer acceptable to sit on the sidelines when one of our own
was in trouble," said Petersen. "Kid actors who achieve early fame
have a tendency to think they are unique in all the world, but a fair
review of our history reveals many common threads that remain
consistent across generations. Once I had identified these common
threads it was just a matter of time before AMC began applying the
lessons learned to the current crop of working kids and their
families."
Paul himself was a former child actor and over the years he has seen it all. He obtained his first professional job at age nine, but was also fired from the
Mickey Mouse Club in 1955 for "conduct unbecoming a mouse." Paul also played
Jeff Stone on The Donna Reed Show from 1958-1966, wrote his first screenplay at age
16, and recorded a gold record by age 17.
"My advice to parents has remained the same for 30 years," Petersen
commented. "First make sure you are certain of your child's talent and
character; second, never believe you are the first parent of a talented or famous child or that you are smarter or love better than that of
past stage parents. Next, always have an exit strategy so your child
can gracefully leave the stage if that is what they want. Guard your
money; think ten years ahead. Seek out other people who have lived the
experience and finally, be cautious. Your child will only have one
childhood."
To read more about Children In Film's Giving Back program, or to read about Paul Petersen and "A Minor Consideration"
Want to suggest a charity for our "giving back" efforts? Simply contact us.
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