Community Art Contest Announced by the Michigan State Housing Development Authority

LANSING, Mich., March 8, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) Executive Director Gary Heidel announced today that MSHDA will be sponsoring a student art contest focusing on the vision of a modern community as seen through the eyes of children. MSHDA has partnered with Bingham Elementary to kick off the first annual "MSHDA Community Art Contest."  

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110419/MM85741LOGO)

The goal of the contest is to illustrate the many different buildings that make up their local neighborhoods and to teach students to recognize the importance of community in their lives.

Three different age groups will participate (K-1, 2-3, and 4-5) and three winners will be selected from each group. The nine pictures selected will be used to craft a collage of the Michigan Avenue corridor as envisioned by the students at Bingham.

"The Michigan Avenue corridor received a substantial grant for community development and MSHDA and Bingham are both part of this corridor" said Heidel. "We thought the contest would be a great way to get kids thinking about what makes a community such a special place to live."

"We are thrilled that MSHDA approached us to participate in the first annual Community Art Contest," said Bingham Elementary Principal Lori Abbott-Smith. "This contest provides us with a vehicle to continue teaching our students about the importance of respecting their community. We will use different techniques to familiarize the children with the concept of community and look forward to seeing their interpretations."

The winners will be honored at the Building Michigan Communities Conference in April and winning pictures will be featured on MSHDA's Web site and social media sites.

"We look forward to our partnership with Bingham and hope to grow this concept across the state in the near future," Heidel added.

The Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) provides financial and technical assistance through public and private partnerships to create and preserve decent, affordable housing for low- and moderate-income residents and to engage in community economic development activities to revitalize urban and rural communities.*

*MSHDA's loans and operating expenses are financed through the sale of tax-exempt and taxable bonds as well as notes to private investors, not from state tax revenues. Proceeds are loaned at below-market interest rates to developers of rental housing, and help fund mortgages and home improvement loans. MSHDA also administers several federal housing programs. For more information, visit www.michigan.gov/mshda

SOURCE Michigan State Housing Development Authority

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