Red Cross Club seeks student artwork proposals

The local chapter of the Red Cross wants people to know what they’re about — and they hope to use student art to spread the word.

The Central North Carolina Chapter of the Red Cross, in collaboration with the American Red Cross Club at UNC, is holding an art contest until Wednesday to help educate people about the mission and work of the Red Cross.

The winner’s art project will be displayed at blood drives, community events and fundraisers in Orange County.

The chapter will provide up to $600 for supplies to be used for the project. The winning designer will also receive a $100 prepaid Visa card, Palmer said.

Money for the art project came from a United Way allocation for youth in Orange County, Caroline Jones, president of the UNC Red Cross Club, said in an email.

This is the first year the organizations have collaborated to hold an art contest.

Wilma Palmer, blood coordinator for the chapter, said they wanted to reach out specifically to the college-aged population in the community.

“I think this is an exciting opportunity for the local chapter to work with the students,” Palmer said.

Campus blood drives

Though UNC’s club has never raised that much, Jones said it can usually find donors for monthly on-campus blood drives.

Jones said that during the 2010-2011 school year, the UNC Red Cross Club collected 1,065 units of blood — about 85 percent of their goal.

Competing to inform

Palmer said submissions should be transportable displays, and should be sturdy enough to be displayed indoors and outside.

She also said the project is meant to reflect all the Red Cross’ services, not just blood drives.

“I hope to see many options for keeping it visible for many months,” she added.

Applications will be accepted through Oct. 19, and the winner will be notified on Oct. 28.

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