THUNDER BAY – A combination of lessons taught in school and a link that was sent to her mother led to Elena Glavish winning a national contest.
Her drawing “The Adventuresest Truck” was one of three winners in the under-eight-year-old category for the Toyota Canada Dream Car Art Contest.
“My mom first told me about it after her friend sent her the link about the contest,” Glavish said. “I got very excited and I thought a truck would be perfect.
“In school, we were talking a lot (about) how stuff was polluted and how do we want to change it. I wanted to change it and I thought that the contest would be a great way to change things and make sure that we stop polluting.”
The seven-year-old drew a truck that goes on adventures, ranging from fishing to camping, and is powered by converting polluted air into clean air that’s better for animals, people and the environment.
“I wanted to make a truck that people could choose where they wanted to go,” Glavish said.
“It took me a couple of times to do the drawing as it took me a long time to figure out where I wanted to put everything.”
When Glavish found out that she was one of the winners, she admitted that she was surprised.
“I didn’t have a lot of detail in the drawing, but the work that I put in to explain the drawing was great,” Glavish said.
“I felt like my work was accomplished.”
The contest has been going on nationally for 10 years, but Glavish is the first winner to come from Thunder Bay.
“We’re quite proud of Elena,” Wayne Toyota general manager Ben Grant said.
“She’s very well-spoken and articulate. She walked me through her design and how it helps the environment . . . it was quite informative.
“As adults, we all hear about the real-world problems that are happening every single day and sometimes even for us it can seem like ‘What are we going to do about it?’
“For me, it’s extremely exciting to see young minds like Elena that are tackling these problems and seeing them as a serious issue . . . and also thinking about how they can be solved in quite a bit of detail.”
For her efforts, Glavish earned a $250 online gift card to KiwiCo, which makes educational toys for kids.
She is also nominated for the worldwide competition, which sees the winner receive a grand prize of $5,000.
The results of the contest are expected to be announced later this summer.