Young Artists Earn Funds for Their Schools Through Illinois American Water’s “Imagine a Day Without Water” Art Contest

Young artists across the state participated in Illinois American Water’s annual “Imagine a Day Without Water art contest.” Entries from 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th grade students depicted what a day without water meant to them and included a related phrase. Of the many entries received, Illinois American Water chose 19 winners, earning those classrooms a $100 donation to be used for supplies or a classroom celebration.

The winning artwork can be viewed here https://tinyurl.com/y7gjbbbg on Illinois American Water’s Facebook page. Illinois American Water holds the contest in conjunction with the Value of Water Coalition’s annual “Imagine a Day Without Water” event to raise awareness about the value of water service.

“Though it’s hard to imagine even just one day without water, our young customers, when posed with the question of what a day without water would mean to them, truly understand the impact to fire protection, sanitary services, plants, animals and more,” said Bruce Hauk, Illinois American Water President. “It’s important we continue to educate about the critical role water service plays in the communities we serve. This art contest allows us to do so in a creative way, bringing together both art and science.”

The art contest winners are listed below in no particular order:
Austin McFadden, 4th Grader at St. Michael School in Wheaton
Emma Welks, 4th Grader at Christian Hills School in Orland Hills
Liliana Garcia, 3rd Grader at Goodings Grove School in Homer Glen
Celeste Diaz, 5th Grader at St. Peter Catholic School in South Beloit
Mone’ Branch, 5th Grader at Union School in Belleville
Jacob Carrico, 5th Grader at Belle Valley School in Belleville
Briana Wermke, 5th Grader at East Elementary School in Alton
Chase Korsos, 4th Grader at St. Ambrose in Godfrey
Karmen Bush, 3rd Grader at LE Stark School in Pekin
Khloe Graham, 5th Grader at Northlawn Junior High School in Streator
Charlie Turner, 5th Grader at Northlawn Junior High School in Streator
Jaydon Miller, 4th Grader at West Lincoln Broadwell School in Lincoln
Eitan Oliver, 5th Grader at Peoria Hebrew Day School in Peoria
Gage Tuck, 5th Grader at Pleasant Hill School in Peoria
Cora Heinz, 4th Grader at St. Jude Catholic School in Peoria
Megan Wiechmann, 5th Grader at St. Mary’s Catholic School in Pontiac
Leighton Clark, 4th Grader at St. Matthew Catholic School in Champaign
Olivia Egelston, 5th Grader at Unity East Elementary School in Tolono
Annalise Shunk, 5th Grader at Unity West Elementary School in Tolono

Hauk said, “We want to thank our local educators for taking time to talk to their students about the value of water. Our team was impressed with the number and quality of entries received from across the state.”

The winning artwork may be featured in future Illinois American Water customer communications.

About Illinois American Water - Illinois American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 1.3 million people. American Water also operates a customer service center in Alton and a quality control and research laboratory in Belleville.

With a history dating back to 1886, American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly-traded water and wastewater utility company. The company employs more than 7,100 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to over 14 million people in 45 states and Ontario, Canada. American Water provides safe, clean, affordable and reliable water services to our customers to make sure we keep their lives flowing. For more information, visit amwater.com and follow American Water on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

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