Mahwah Student Wins Lions Club Peace Poster Contest

The following was submitted to Patch by the Saddle River Valley Lions Club.

Three Saddle River Valley middle school students have each taken the first step to becoming an internationally recognized artist by winning a local competition sponsored by the Saddle River Valley Lions Club. Posters judged to be the best in their respective schools were by Angela Enriquez (Smith School, Ramsey), Rajwinder Kaw (Ramapo Ridge School, Mahwah), and Anna Giammanco (Cavallini School, Upper Saddle River).

The winning posters were among more than 450,000 entries submitted worldwide in the annual Lions International Peace Poster Contest. Lions Clubs International is sponsoring the program to emphasize the importance of world peace to young people everywhere.

Saddle River Valley Peace Poster Contest Committee Chairman Arthur Keyes stated that “the winning posters were selected by a panel of teachers and administrators at each school. Posters were judged on originality, artistic merit, and portrayal of the contest theme.” Keyes added that “the theme of the 2013-14 Peace Poster Contest is ‘Our World, Our Future.’ Students, ages 11, 12 or 13 on November 15, 2013 were eligible to participate.”

Jerry Michota, President of the Saddle River Valley Lions, agreed stating that he was “very impressed by the expression and creativity of the students at the three schools. It is obvious that these young people have strong ideas about what peace means to them. I’m proud that we were able to provide them with the opportunity to share their visions.”

Each year, Lions Clubs around the world proudly sponsor the Lions International Peace Poster Contest in local schools and youth groups. This art contest encourages young people worldwide to express their visions of peace. For more than 25 years, millions of children from nearly 100 countries have participated in the contest.

Posters advance through several judging levels: local, district, multiple district and international. At the international level, judges from the art, peace, youth, education and media communities select one grand prize winner and 23 merit award winners. The grand prize includes a cash award of $5,000, plus a trip for the winner and two family members to a special award ceremony. Merit award winners each receive a certificate and a cash award of US$500.

Previous international grand prize winners can be viewed at www.lionsclubs.org.

Lions Clubs International is the world’s largest service club organization with more than 1.3 million members in approximately 45,000 clubs in more than 208 countries and geographical areas around the world. Founded in 1917, membership is by invitation with the organization being best known for fighting blindness. In addition to its work helping the visually impaired, Lions have a strong commitment to community service and serving youth throughout the world. Its members perform volunteer work for many different kinds of community projects – including caring for the environment, feeding the hungry, and aiding seniors and the disabled.

For more information about the Saddle River Valley Lions Club, visit www.SRVLions.org