From the Publisher

By Elizabeth P. Valk

Those of us in the business of putting words and pictures on paper are frequently reminded of the strong reactions that readers have to the stories we publish. A story in TIME might prompt a reader to fire off a letter to our editors, call a Congressman or, in the case of Paul LaBell, do something astonishing and profound. A New York City print publisher, LaBell makes his living surrounded by images meant to stir the emotions. But that didn't prepare him for photographer Michael Springer's picture of starving Sudanese in our Dec. 5, 1988, issue.

"They were so thin they looked like Giacometti sculptures -- living stick figures," LaBell recalls. "The photograph so haunted me that I decided I wanted to do something about it." Marrying his pledge to his profession, he came up with a plan to organize a charity art auction for the United Nations Children's Fund.

Once UNICEF agreed to the idea, LaBell went to work on winning the support of the art world, expecting a tough sell. "Artists are constantly asked to give time, effort and artwork to charity," he notes. "But almost no one turned us down." Over several months LaBell enlisted the help of more than 200 art dealers, museum directors and artists, who donated work to be sold, including Annie Leibovitz, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg and Claes Oldenburg. To eliminate administrative costs, LaBell persuaded everyone from catalog photographers to an insurance company to give their services to the project, dubbed "Art for Children's Survival."

LaBell's efforts culminated in a benefit auction last September at Sotheby's in New York City that raised almost $250,000. Funds from the auction have been directed to relief and development projects in nine countries, which will help thousands of children.

"I'm a firm believer in the idea that one person can make a difference," says LaBell, who is compelling evidence for that argument. While we can claim no part of LaBell's success, we are proud to have played a small role in providing his motivation.