FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 9,2009
| Contacts: | Sonja Helman (410) 366-VEGE |
| Jeannie McStay (410) 366-8343 |
Kansas City Student Wins $5,000 Vegetarian Scholarship
The Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG) is proud to award Claire Askew, 2009 graduate of Shawnee Mission South High School, with a $5,000 college scholarship for her work in promoting vegetarianism. In her senior year of high school, Claire published a book on veganism for teens titled Generation V: The Complete Guide to Going, Being, and Staying Vegan as a Teenager.
Claire became vegetarian the summer before her freshman year of high school, and went vegan soon after. She began the book in tenth grade after reading a book on veganism by Bob and Jenna Torres. �I contacted the authors to tell them how helpful and uplifting it was to a young vegan like me. We began communicating about veganism in general and about my life�and the fact that I was a writer.� She mentioned that she was working on a website about being vegan as a teenager, when Bob Torres joked that she should write a book. She decided to do just that, and was offered a contract by the Torres' publishing company, Tofu Hound Press.
Claire was awarded the VRG's scholarship for her efforts to educate others about vegetarianism and veganism. Along with writing the book, she led a discussion group on veganism through the social justice collective TWIG�Think, Work, Inspire, Grow. She works hard to create a positive image of veganism.
The Vegetarian Resource Group is a national non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public about vegetarianism. VRG publishes the quarterly Vegetarian Journal, and sponsors two annual $5,000 scholarships for graduating high school seniors who have promoted vegetarianism in their communities. For more information on the scholarship, visit www.vrg.org
A vegetarian does not eat meat, fish, or fowl. A vegan is a vegetarian who does not use other animal products such as eggs and dairy. For more information on starting a vegetarian diet, visit The Vegetarian Resource Group at www.vrg.org or write to The Vegetarian Resource Group, P.O. Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203.
