Carson James, son of Kevin and Bonnie and a Grade 8 student at Virden Junior High School, received formal recognition from the Virden Lions Club last week for winning the Lions International Peace Poster Contest while in Grade 7 during the 2021-22 school year.
James received a $50 prize for having the top local entry and was awarded an additional $100 by the district for his success at that level. An all-occasion greeting card featuring the winning poster has also been produced for sale, with funds going towards youth programming.
According to Virden Lions Treasurer Barry O’Grady, COVID-19 halted plans to make the presentation at the District 5M-13 Convention in February.
“Kevin, Bonnie and Carson were to attend the mid-winter convention in Brandon and then it went virtual,” he said. “We were going to treat them with a nice meal and do the presentation, but because of COVID we couldn’t.”
The Peace Poster contest is an international competition, which is aimed at building awareness and understanding about the importance of world peace and respect and tolerance towards other people and cultures. The district has encouraged students in its coverage area, which includes Virden and the Fort La Bosse School Division, to participate for the last 15 years.
Lion Ben Veselovsky spearheads the project on behalf of the local club. More than 600,000 young people from around the world have participated since the contest began in 1988.
