News Release

For Immediate Release

SHERMAN, April 15, 2013 – Dr. Susan Thomas, Executive Director of Texoma Council of Governments (TCOG) announced today the winner of the Summer in Texoma Youth Art Contest. The winning entry, “Cliffs of Lake Texoma,” was submitted by Erin Hollahan, a second grader from Leonard, Texas.

As the Grand Prize winner, Hollahan’s Cliffs of Lake Texoma will be the cover of TCOG’s 2-1-1 publication, Summertastic, a Summer Youth Activity Guide distributed annually to over 70 thousand families in the Texoma Region. The contest was sponsored by Texoma Medical Center with the challenge of creating an art piece which represented summer in Texoma. Over 80 entries were received from 2nd to 4th graders living in the tri-county area. “These young artists presented beautiful, unique artwork that made deciding the winner very difficult for the judges.” Dr. Thomas stated. “We have some very talented young artists in our region.”

Down by the Water - Cannen Fellegy, 1st Runner Up of Summer Youth Art Contest

The panel of judges included: JoAnne Johnson of Texoma Medical Center, Lisa Avila, artist and Executive Director of The Bonham Creative Arts Center, Allison Minton, TCOG Client Services Department Director, Judy Fullylove, TCOG 2-1-1 Program Manager and Sean Norton, artist and TCOG Executive Assistant.

The judges made two additional selections to be featured in the Guide. The first runner-up was 4th grader Cannen Fellegy from Collinsville, Texas with the entry entitled, “Down by the Water” and second runner-up, 2nd grader Gabriela Chavez from Ravenna, Texas with the entry entitled, “Summer in Texoma.”

The Summertastic publication will be distributed the first part of May and will also be available online at www.tcog.com/summertastic.

Summer in Texoma - Gabriela Chavez, 2nd Runner Up of Summer Youth Art Contest

The Texoma Council of Governments is a voluntary association of the local governments in Cooke, Fannin, and Grayson Counties. Established in 1968, the Texoma Council of Governments promotes economy and efficiency in the coordinated planning and development of the tri-county region through its community and economic development activities. Either directly, or through contractors, the Council provides housing, utility assistance, and weatherization services for low-income citizens in the region and assists the elderly through a variety of Area Agency on Aging programs. The Council also facilitates the delivery of grant funding for homeland security and criminal justice.