Building Bridges to the Future
The Kiwanis Club of
Chatham-Kent heeded the call from KI President Gunter Gasser to help build
bridges for children to the future. In
partnership with the Chatham Cultural Centre and Thames Art Gallery, they held
a Children's Art Competition where children in the community were invited to
submit art based on the theme: "What do you see when you think of bridges to the
future?"
Guidelines, timelines
and promotion were arranged. The
competition was open to any student in Chatham-Kent (maximum
2 entries per child) with cash prizes awarded.
Posters and brochures were displayed in many public areas (municipal
buildings, libraries, seniors' centres, churches, etc) and social media was
used to get the word out. A team of 3
judges determined one winner in each of the 3 categories (Primary, Junior and
Senior). All artwork was displayed
gallery-style at the Chatham Cultural Centre for a few weeks after the
competition.
A formal presentation of certificates and
prizes was made to each of the winners during a special Kiwanis Club
meeting. The children were praised for
their talents and also rewarded for participating in the ELIMINATE
fundraiser. Their parents and grandparents were recognized and
thanked for their support. A reception
followed with cake and refreshments for all in attendance.
Thanks to the generosity of the owner of the
Maple Art Gallery in Chatham, the art will be professionally matted. The three winning pieces will be taken from
Ontario to the Eastern Canada and the Caribbean District Convention in Charlottetown
PEI to be sold or auctioned as part of the fundraiser to support ELIMINATE.
This was an extremely worthwhile project for
many reasons: recognition of the talents of children, visibility in the
community, increased awareness of the goals of Kiwanis and ELIMINATE as well as
fundraising to support the project.
Submitted by
Cathy Telfer, Past President and Chair of
Publicity
Kiwanis Club of Chatham-Kent
ctelfer@sympatico.ca
519-351-4378
