People’s Choice Awards

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Sean D. Smith
  • Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs
MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  April is Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month, where Minot Air Force Base uses positive activities to recognize and promote the importance of this month. This year, Family Advocacy is trying a large-scale art contest for children in 3rd and 4th grade.

"We're asking the kids to focus on creating a picture highlighting themselves enjoying something with their family," said Laurel Grams, Family Advocacy outreach manager. "We're not looking to focus on abuse. Let's get the people out there enjoying each other, getting to know each other and maybe having some fun."

Rather than telling families how important it is to spend time together, Family Advocacy's "People's Choice Awards" art contest actively tries to make it happen.

"Most of the time with child abuse, you think of the abuse part of it," Grams said. "The message we want to send is more of a positive one about resiliency and playing with your children to help them become more resilient."

The artwork from the kids will be displayed in the breezeway between the commissary and the Base Exchange, and anyone will be able to submit a vote.

"We emphasized to the kids that the most important thing in the pictures was themselves. The second most important thing was that there was something that they enjoyed doing with their family, or they were hoping or wishing to do someday. We're hoping the kids will pull their parents into it and get them involved."

There will be a winner from both North Plains Elementary and Dakota Elementary, and honorable mentions. The contest is mainly for bragging rights, but there will also be medals and certificates.

"Our focus is looking at positive things that families can do together," said Sherri McKittrick, Family Advocacy Program team member. "The stronger that families are constructed and the more resiliency that they build, the less likely it is that there will be a domestic incident."

Family Advocacy wants to strengthen families, and they want to make sure parents and children have fun while they do it.

"We know that there are parents that might not have a lot of time," Grams said. "But the third and fourth graders really have a lot of enthusiasm for hanging out with family, and we'd like to encourage that. I have a feeling we're going to need a lot of ballots."