Attention Parents and Teachers of Students in Grades 4, 5, or 6

Posted: 14-Nov-2019

The Meaning of Home contest, which runs from January 6, 2020, to February 21, 2020, invites Grades 4, 5 and 6 students from across Canada to submit a written poem or essay (in English or French) explaining what home means to them for a chance to direct a $30,000 grant to a local Habitat for Humanity build. There is no cost to enter.

Since 2007, over 58,000 students have participated in the Meaning of Home contest. Thanks to their inspiring words and the support of founding sponsor Genworth Canada and award sponsors Revera Inc. and The Silver Hotel Group, the Meaning of Home contest has raised over $1.5 million to build homes across Canada for families in need of decent and affordable housing.

Locally:

Last year, Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region had 13 schools take part in the contest and over 500 submissions of poems and short essays, which helped to raise over $5,000 for affordable homeownership in the Peterborough and Kawartha Region!

Here, at Habitat, we are excited to offer your students a unique and meaningful way to get involved in the creative writing process. Our goal is to teach your students about the importance of giving back to their community and foster their active participation as world citizens.

Eager to get your students involved? A Habitat representative can visit your classroom to offer a 30-minute, interactive presentation where we aim to teach your students about Habitat for Humanity, the importance of volunteerism, and how they can make a tangible difference in their community!

Schedule a Habitat classroom presentation today by emailing info@habitatpkr.ca.

Key dates:

October 9, 2019, to January 5, 2020 – Teachers can sign up on meaningofhome.ca to receive regular contest updates
January 6, 2020 – Contest opens for submissions
February 21, 2020 – Contest closes
February 22 to April 30, 2020 – Entries judged
May 2020 – Winners are announced

Prizes:

Each grade will have a grand prize winner and three runners-up for a total of 12 prizes.

Grand prize winner (three total, one per grade) – $30,000

Each grade prize winner of the Meaning of Home contest will receive a $30,000 grant generously donated by the contest’s award sponsors Revera Inc. and The Silver Hotel Group, to direct to a local Habitat build of their choice. Additional prizes include an iPad and a class pizza party.

Three Runner-up Prizes (nine total, three per grade) – $10,000

Three contest runners-up per grade will each receive a $10,000 grant, generously donated by the contest sponsors towards a Habitat build project of their choice. Additional prizes include an electronic tablet and a class pizza party.

And $10 per essay will be generously donated by the contest’s founding sponsor, Genworth Canada, to your local Habitat for Humanity for every contest entry submitted by students in their region!

That means that your classroom participation is helping Canadian families access safe, decent and affordable homes that they pay for with a no down payment, interest-free affordable mortgage.

Getting Started: Teachers

Once you have signed up, you can download the digital toolkit found on meaningofhome.ca. We’ve provided everything you need to get your students involved in the Meaning of Home contest.

This digital tool kit includes:

  • A classroom module including writing tips, social studies-aligned information on affordable housing.
  • A word search to help engage students.
  • A poster for display in your classroom, library or cafeteria.

We are very thankful for your classroom’s participation in the Meaning of Home contest. You and your students can submit their entries online at meaningofhome.ca, or you can download and print a submission form that can be mailed in. To submit entries online, download the submission form for mail entries, or access contest rules, please visit meaningofhome.ca.

Getting Started: Parents

You can download the digital toolkit found on meaningofhome.ca. We’ve provided everything you need to get your child involved in the Meaning of Home contest. This digital tool kit includes:

  • Education module including writing tips, social studies-aligned information on affordable housing.
  • A word search.

We are very grateful for your child’s participation in the Meaning of Home contest. Your child can submit their entry online at meaningofhome.ca, or you can download and print a submission form that can be mailed in. To access submission forms (online and mail), contest rules, or to submit your child’s entry, visit meaningofhome.ca.

We look forward to another incredible year of Meaning of Home, and we cannot wait to hear about what home truly means to your students/children!

For additional information or to book a Habitat presentation for your classroom: email info@habitatpkr.ca or 705-750-1456 ext. 205.