The Friendship Circle is excited to announce the launch of an all-new art contest, open to children and teens of all ages. This year, the concept is to come up with either a Friendship Circle-themed emoji, or a Purim emoji—maybe it’s two smiling faces working together, a triangular-shaped Haman-face, or even a crowned Queen? That’s where your creativity and unique ideas are welcomed, and we can’t wait to see what ideas you have in mind!

We encourage the use of bright colors, and designs can be created either with traditional crayons or markers, or using computer graphics. They can be mailed in, or a photograph can be taken of the artwork and emailed over to [email protected]. Five lucky winners will be selected, and the drawings will be showcased on this year’s Purim Cards, for mass distribution, making the winners into artistic celebrities!

Friendship Circle provides social programming for individuals with special needs, enriching their lives and the lives of the entire family. We also provide meaningful volunteer opportunities for our teenagers who enjoy the ability to get to know these special children and teens, and everybody grows from the shared experiences. The design contest is a fun outlet for those who are already involved in the organization to further make a creative impact, and it is also a chance for those who are too young to participate or who did not yet have the ability to attend a Friendship Circle meeting to be involved in some way. The contest is open to all!

We are looking forward to seeing the beautiful artwork, and we are certain the decision process will be difficult, but we know that ultimately so many great minds will come together to contribute to this wonderful Friendship Circle Purim Card, to be distributed across the globe in a few short weeks. For questions or more information, please contact Zeesy Grossbaum at (201)262-7172, or via email [email protected].

By Sarah Abenaim