.
Congratulations to Haleigh Hillman, winner of the Family Nurturing Center’s Children’s Art Contest!
Haleigh’s artwork, entitled “Family is the Spice of Life”, won the hearts of the art contest officials at the Family Nurturing Center. “When the judges saw it, they knew it was the one,” stated Tracey Fuchs, Director of Marketing and Special Events at the Family Nurturing Center. “Her entry provided such a positive image about the power of the family in the prevention of child abuse.”
That was exactly the goal of the Family Nurturing Center when they invited students in grades 3 – 5 in the Northern Kentucky / Greater Cincinnati area to submit artwork that would promote awareness of child abuse prevention and/or nurturing families. The contest was sponsored as part of the Center’s annual (April) Blue Ribbon observance of Child Abuse Prevention Month.
Haleigh, a fifth grade student at Mason-Corinth Elementary, entered the contest at the suggestion of Mrs. Karla Hurley, MCE’s Family Resource Center Director. Though she has had no formal art lessons, she did have one small “win” under her belt, having recently won the conservation poster contest for her class. Haleigh says she found the inspiration for her artwork in her own kitchen. “I was looking around the house, thinking about what I should draw, when I saw the spice rack,” shared Haleigh. “It just came to me!”
As the art contest winner, Haleigh was recognized at the Family Nurturing Center’s Blue Ribbon Ceremony held on April 1 in Northern Kentucky. As part of her prize, her work will be publically displayed in a number of places including Northern Kentucky’s TANK buses, and she will have the opportunity to attend an 8-week afterschool art workshop at “The Carnegie”, located in Covington. Mrs. Hurley shared that Haleigh also had her choice of a gift card from Hobby Lobby for herself or a pizza party for her class at school. “Haleigh chose the party for her classmates,” stated Hurley. “That’s the kind of young lady she is.”
The Family Nurturing Center believes in the power of prevention and focuses much energy in the education and nurturing of parents/caregivers so the home is honored as a safe place for children to live and grow. “If we can just promote what Haleigh beautifully depicted in her artwork,” states Fuchs, “– the role of the family to love, care, help, support, hope, and hug -- we will be a long way in our journey to prevent the existence of child abuse.”
