Christophers Announce Winners of Youth Poster and Video Contests

NEW YORK, June 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Christophers have named the top prize winners in their annual student contests -- the 31^st Annual Poster Contest for High School Students and the 33rd Annual Video Contest for College Students.

In the poster contest, students in grades 9 through 12 were invited to create a poster that interprets the timeless theme, "You Can Make a Difference."  This year's contest drew nearly 500 entries from high schools across the United States, with a wide range of media used in the submissions, from personalized photograph collages to highly detailed paintings.

First prize went to senior Alexi Ann Farrell, homeschooled in Rockford, Illinois. Her digital poster features photographs from various volunteer programs she has participated in over the years, highlighting her work with youngsters who have special needs. In the center of the poster is the statement, "You can make a difference by embracing ability rather than disability."  Farrell noted that "embracing abilities rather than disabilities not only instills confidence, but also helps change society's view of people with special needs."

High school senior Imani Victoria Tornes, homeschooled in Fayetteville, GA, won second prize with an entry that similarly realizes the importance of helping young people realize their full potential at an early age. Her poster centers on a photograph of herself with several young girls in her mother's dance studio, where she also works as an instructor. The caption reads, "You can make a difference, by teaching children to move to the beat of their own drum." 

"Without dance," Tornes explained, "I wouldn't be who I am today. I want to make a difference by teaching children that it is okay to be their authentic selves, and that dance can bring us together."

Third prize winner Cecilia Minard, a senior at Marietta High School in Marietta, OH, also ties into the theme of finding common ground, no matter your outward differences. Minard's fantastical hand-painted canvas portrait depicts two sides of a wooded scene, showing a clear blue sky despite the rain. From the brighter side of the painting, a fairy holds a red and white spotted mushroom above a green toad seated in the shadier area of this landscape, shielding him from the rain. Above the two figures are the words, "You can make a difference, no matter how small."

In a letter to The Christophers, Cecilia explained, "My painting means no matter how small you feel or how small your act of kindness is, it can make all the difference to someone else."

The Christophers also announced the winners of their 33rd Annual Video Contest for College Students, in which entrants were asked to create a film or video that communicates the belief that one person can make a difference. This year's contest drew close to 100 entries from colleges throughout the United States.

Tony Rossi, The Christophers' Director of Communications, and Sarah E. Holinski, The Christophers' Youth Director, said, "Our winning videos this year, in particular in the wake of our nation's year-long pandemic, demonstrate to great effect how one idea -- one person -- can help transform a community, and by extension, the world at large for the better."

First prize winner Jillian Kay, a broadcast journalism major at Emerson College in Boston, showcased one such remarkable person in her film entitled "The Hug."  Despite his culinary renown, former celebrity chef Bill Bracken always felt as though something important was missing from his life. About eight years ago, that the notion for the nonprofit Bracken's Kitchen was born.  His biggest epiphany came pre-pandemic, when he decided to drop off food on a regular basis at the local Civic Center, where 500 homeless people resided. One day as Bill was leaving, a woman named Ruby asked if he would give her a hug—and she wasn't the only one. Many others soon lined up behind her to get hugs, and the awestruck chef embraced every person, admitting he was stunned that of all the things these people were lacking and could have asked for, what they desired most was "a hug…to know that somebody cared."

Second prize winner and president of the nonprofit "The Fassett GreenSpace," Cassandra Bull, continues with the theme of a caring community in her video of the same name. Bull, an environmental policy and planning major at Tufts University in Medford, MA, established the Fassett Green Space in Wellsville, NY. And thanks to  generous donations of its hardworking brigade of volunteers, the Fassett Green Space Project has grown tremendously since its inception in 2018, serving as a tangible reminder that "community work is…what it means to truly love where you live."

In the third prize winning video entitled "The Ellie Jean Project," Western Carolina University student Victor Venjohn interviewed two incredible individuals, Brandon and Leslie Clothier of Moore County, North Carolina. Inspired by their oldest daughter, 6-year-old Ellie Jean, who suffers from cerebral palsy among other things, the Clothiers decided to rally together with their close-knit community to make their dream of building a park for special needs children a reality. Even with the upheaval of the coronavirus pandemic, the Clothiers managed to raise $45,000 in 3 years for this noble venture, and they don't plan to stop there because, as Leslie noted, "we don't let things defeat our family."

"Those are truly wise words for us all to live by and remember as we work to continue to light our own candles rather than cursing the darkness, as The Christophers' founder, Father James Keller always maintained," said The Christophers' Tony Rossi.

Media Contact: David Reich
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SOURCE The Christophers