Kids’ art showcases importance of masks
CALEXICO – A native son wanting to give back to his community challenged local kids to use their creative skills to make comic art illustrating the importance of wearing masks during the pandemic.
Erik Gallegos’ challenge was answered. Nineteen kids from the ages of 3 to 15 participated in Camarena Memorial Library’s Children’s Comic Art contest. The contest was presented on Facebook as part of the library’s summer reading program, and it was created and sponsored by Gallegos, a Calexico native who works for Seesaw, an education and technology company in San Francisco.
Children were invited to submit a one-page handmade comic using the mask theme. Submissions were dropped off, mailed or emailed. Winners will receive Walmart gift cards with values ranging from $15 to $50 as prizes. Thirteen prizes were awarded in all.
Gallegos, a 2009 Calexico High School grad who studied computer science at the University of California, San Diego, said he created the contest to give back to a library that has given so much to him.
Gallegos said he has fond memories of attending library programs as a child. He recalled attending the library’s Storytime program, and participating in the summer reading program. He said books gave him exposure to different perspectives and ideas.
“These library programs set the foundation for my love of reading and helped spark my imagination,” he said.
Gallegos said his mother would take him to the library a few times a week, where he would browse many books and would pick books to take home.
As a low-income student, he said he recalls how grateful he was to receive free books. Erik credits this strong early reading foundation with his success in school.
“With so many books in the library, the possibilities felt endless,” he said.
The Children’s Comic Art contest was split among three age groups. First, second and third place in each category will be awarded gift cards of $50, $30 and $20, respectively. There also were five honorable mention winners who will each receive $15 gift cards.
Top prizes in the 3 to 5 age group went to Jose Sanchez, 4; Diego Ivan Rico, 5, and Leonardo Espinoza, 3, who took first, second and third places, respectively.
The top three winners in the 6 to 12 group were, in order, Heather Castillo, 6; Victoria Chan, 12, and Victoria Sanchez, 6.
The two winners for the 13 to 18 group were James Marroquin, 15, and Devonna Quintero, 14, who placed first and second, respectively.
Honorable mention went to Katherine Gonzalez, 8; Derek Prado, 7; Temperance Magallanes, 8; Heiz Ruelas, 8, and Hazel Araujo, 9.
Gallegos said he looks forward to staying connected to Calexico Library by supporting more library programs.