Rossella Bagnato, Academic Superintendent of Education for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board helped kickoff the Seventh Annual Art For Heart Poster Challenge at St. Bernadette Catholic School. Grade six students from the Sudbury Catholic District School Board and the Rainbow District School Board and have once again been given the opportunity to design a unique billboard/poster to promote healthy living and decrease the risk of heart diseases. The winning poster will be displayed prominently on a billboard in the City of Greater Sudbury.

The Art For Heart Billboard/Poster Challenge is the brainchild of local cardiologist Dr. Ron Baigrie. Alarmed by the high rate of heart disease locally, he decided to use a common advertising medium-the billboard-to drive home an important message. In 1999, he commissioned and designed a billboard showing a brain beside a heart. The caption read, ‘Use this (brain) to save this (heart)’. The billboard was also featured in Canada’s Macleans magazine. Building on the success of the billboard campaign Dr. Baigrie challenges elementary students to become involved and to start thinking about keeping their bodies healthy.

The deadline for the Art For Heart Billboard/Poster submissions is February 17, 2006. Awards will be presented at Tom Davies Square on March 6. The Grand Prize Winner will receive a bicycle and have his/her poster displayed prominently on a City of Greater Sudbury billboard. The second and third place winners will receive a bag of sports balls and a MP3 player respectively. The prizes are sponsored by: Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Kidsfit Sudbury, The Sudbury Wolves and the Medical School for Patients/Dr. Ron Baigrie.