Sharing the Meaning of Home
Jan 17, 2019
Students in Grades 4, 5 and 6 will have an opportunity to share what “home” means to them and help a local family at the same time. At the launch of the Habitat for Humanity Meaning of Home contest at Claude E. Garton Public School on Friday, January 18, Thunder Bay students will be encouraged to submit an essay or poem on what home means to them to help support a Habitat build of their choice.
“Through this national writing contest, students will be working on their writing skills and making our community a better place to live at the same time,” says Shannon Jessiman-MacArthur, Principal of Claude E. Garton Public School. “We believe very strongly in our community and I know that other schools and students will also be very excited to participate in this exciting initiative.”
In the last 12 years, over 50,000 students have shared what homes has meant to them. Thanks to their inspiring words, and the generous support of founding sponsor Genworth Canada, the Meaning of Home contest has raised over $1 million to build homes across Canada for families in need of decent and affordable housing.
Three grand prize winners, one for each grade, will have the opportunity to direct a grant of $25,000 to a local Habitat build of their choice. Nine runners up will also each receive a grant of $5,000 to donate to the Habitat build of their choice. For every contest entry, a donation of $10 will be made to that student’s local Habitat, ensuring every student can help build Habitat homes in their community.
The Meaning of Home contest is open to all Grades 4, 5 and 6 students across Canada. Submissions will be accepted online between January 7 and February 18, and winners will be announced in April. More information on how to enter, as well as details on prizing, can be found at www.meaningofhome.ca.
