A cheerful drawing showing Niagara Health’s culture of kindness was selected as the grand prize winner of its 11th Annual Holiday Card Contest for kids.
Emma Noel, the 12-year-old daughter of Physiotherapist Rachelle Noel from the Welland Site, was the talented artist behind the grand prize-winning entry.
The drawing illustrates a group of carollers outside the hospital, cheering up patients during the holiday season. A plane can be seen flying overhead carrying a banner with the words ‘Be Kind’. “Emma has been entering the contest every year and this was her last year to enter,” says Rachelle. “It made our day to hear the news.”
In addition to Emma's passion for drawing, the Grade 7 student is actively involved in dance and swimming, and also enjoys other creative activities such as sewing, crafting and making and selling bows with one of her friends. The family lives in Welland, where Emma attends school at Sacré-Coeur Elementary School.
Niagara Health received 52 entries this year and 542 staff votes for the “Your Favourite” category. Angela Zangari, Executive Vice President Finance, Operations and Chief Financial Officer, and Lisa Pepperall, 2017 President’s Award of Excellence recipient had the challenging task of selecting the winners. “We received so many creative and unique entries, which made it very difficult for us to select a winner,” says Mrs. Zangari.
As the grand prize winner, Emma’s drawing will be featured as the image on Niagara Health’s 2017 holiday greeting card, being distributed to community members and partner organizations throughout the region.
Emma is joined by four other artists, who are winners in the following categories:
Your Favourite: Alison Kim, age 11, daughter of Dr. Simon Kim, St. Catharines Site
(as voted by Niagara Health staff, physicians and volunteers)
Age 3-5: Caleb Wiinholt, age 4, son of Barb Wiinholt, St. Catharines Site
Age 6-8: Leah Matthews, age 8, daughter of Kristin Matthews, Greater Niagara General Site
Age 9-12: Katie Potestio, age 9, daughter of Jen Potestio, Greater Niagara General Site
