Teen Donates Book Proceeds to Long Island's Cohen’s Medical Center

By Linda DiProperzio February 26, 2016

A Long Island teen has donated $2,500 from sales of her second children’s book to Cohen Children’s Medical Center, according to Newsday.

Taylor Sinett of Sands Point wrote and illustrated “Jack on a Plaque” (East End Press, $15) about a yak named Jack who, despite having a small hoof, doesn’t let his physical limitations stop him from competing and excelling in sports.

The 16 year-old was inspired to donate to Cohen’s after reading her first book, “Weasel on an Easel,” to patients there last summer. That book follows a weasel named Fredda who faces huge obstacles while on her journey of achieving her dreams. She donated all proceeds from it to the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America in honor of her cousin, Casey, who suffers from ulcerative colitis.

“I had been struggling with ways to really make a difference,” Taylor wrote on her website (www.taylorsinett.com). “I had been watching my cousin Casey deal with ulcerative colitis, and I felt like Fredda's story mirrored her in some ways. I decided that Fredda could help Casey's cause.”

Taylor, who is a sophomore at Paul D. Schreiber High School in Port Washington, recently returned to the children’s hospital to read “Jack on a Plaque” to patients. She hopes the new book will inspire kids who face physical challenges.

“It has felt so great to be directly involved in helping someone I care about,” she wrote. “I've learned that one small idea can turn into something big!”

Both books can be purchased on her website. She has another book in progress, “The Secret Life of Taylor Swift's Cats,” that will benefit other causes she believes in.

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