Julianne Moore, Cokie Roberts, Randi Weingarten and Kids from across New York City Honor Contest Winners for Their Valentine's Day Card Designs

NEW YORK (Jan.28, 2009) — Today, five child winners of Save the Children's art contest were honored by 20 students from across New York, along with actor and Save the Children Artist Ambassador Julianne Moore, Save the Children Board Vice Chair Cokie Roberts and Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, which partnered with Save the Children for the art contest.

The five winners and their artwork are being showcased at a luncheon event at the Harriet Tubman School in Harlem.The artists are appearing today on NBC's Today Show, along with Julianne Moore.

The winning artists represent a diverse range of ages and geography: Emily S., age 7, of southeastern Kentucky; Angel R, age 10, of southeastern Kentucky; Raphaelle B., age 12, of southeastern Texas; Tina D., age 15, of Honolulu, Hawaii; and Stella S., age 17, of western Washington. 

The five pieces of artwork were designed and chosen by kids through a children's Valentine's Day card contest and learning project.  Students in pre-K through 12th grade submitted art for the cards through their schools and then voted online for their favorites in five age categories. The voting to select the winning designs took place in December.  The cards will benefit Save the Children's early childhood, literacy, nutrition and fitness programs in the U.S.

The Valentine's Day Art project, which is spearheaded by Moore, is a part of a larger effort to raise awareness among kids about the child poverty crisis and empower them to end it.  In the U.S. today, an estimated one in six children lives in poverty.

"There are no better or more credible advocates for kids than kids themselves," said Moore.

"This was a great contest," said Cokie Roberts, Vice Chair of Save the Children.  "These kids not only produced fantastic art, they also became advocates for other kids—the one in 6 kids living in this country who are poor."

Valentine's Day Card Contest Themed "Uniting a Generation"

The contest was themed "Uniting a Generation" and was supported by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), which created a set of lesson plans for teachers to help students learn about childhood poverty in the U.S. and values such as loyalty and compassion. 

"The Save the Children art contest and AFT-created lesson plans help students develop the skills and values they need not only to succeed academically, but also to better understand poverty issues and social injustice," said AFT President Randi Weingarten.

Each set of 25 cards (five cards of each design) are available to order online at K2KUSA.COM, Save the Children's brand new campaign website, which is a project of Save the Children's U.S. Programs. The new campaign will bring kids together and empower them to advocate for a fair chance for all kids, including those affected by childhood poverty in the United States. 

The cards are offered in exchange for a donation of $20 to benefit Save the Children’s U.S. education and health programs that focus on early childhood education, literacy, physical activity and nutrition for children in need who live in remote, rural regions of the U.S.

Cards also are available to order online at www.savethechildren.org/valentine.   To ensure delivery by Valentine’s Day, order by February 4.

Save the Children is the leading, independent organization that creates lasting change for children in need in the United States and around the world. Save the Children USA is a member of the International Save the Children Alliance, a global network of 29 independent Save the Children organizations working to ensure the well-being and protection of children in more than 120 countries. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.