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Arbor Day Foundation Announces 2007 National Poster Contest, Sponsored by Toyota
Theme is "Trees are Terrific…and forests are too!"
November 20, 2006 - Nebraska City, NE—"Trees are Terrific…and forests are too!" is the theme of the 2007 Arbor Day National Poster Contest. Sponsored by Toyota, the 16th annual contest of The National Arbor Day Foundation provides children across the country with an understanding of Arbor Day and the important benefits of trees, while inspiring them to learn about the value of our forests as ecosystems. Toyota has supported the education and tree planting efforts of The National Arbor Day Foundation since 2001 and has invested more than $2 million in Arbor Day programs.
More than 75,000 classrooms are expected to participate in this year's national contest, which
is open to fifth grade students in any state that has a designated Arbor Day coordinator.
The Arbor Day National Poster Contest is an important component of the fifth grade science curriculum and can be easily added to teachers' lesson plans. The poster-related activities correlate with national science, geography and art standards.
Each participating state will select a state winner, who will compete in the national contest. National winners will be announced in Washington D.C. on National Arbor Day, April 27, 2007.
The national winner, his or her parents/guardians and teacher will receive an expense-paid trip to the National Awards Weekend at Arbor Day Farm in Nebraska City, Neb., June 1-3, 2007. The national winner also receives a $1000 savings bond, a lifetime membership to The National Arbor Day Foundation and a framed color copy of the winning poster. In addition, a tree will be planted in the winner's honor. The national winner's teacher will receive $200.
Second and third place winners will earn savings bonds worth $500 and $250 respectively and their teachers will receive awards of $100 and $50. The second and third place winners will also have trees planted in their honor.
A complete listing of state coordinators, including email addresses and state deadlines, are available at www.arborday.org/postercontest, or by writing to: Poster Contest, The National Arbor Day Foundation, P.O. Box 85784, Lincoln, NE 68501-5784. Lesson plans and poster contest rules are available by request at the above address or by emailing
[email protected].
Arbor Day is a nationally celebrated observance that encourages tree planting and care. Founded by J. Sterling Morton in Nebraska in 1872, National Arbor Day is celebrated each year on the last Friday in April. Some states observe Arbor Day on different dates according to their best tree-planting times. Visit arborday.org for a listing of each state's Arbor Day.
The national competition is sponsored by The National Arbor Day Foundation and Toyota. The National Arbor Day Foundation, a million-member, nonprofit educational organization, is dedicated to inspiring people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees. Visit www.arborday.org for online learning opportunities and educational materials, including lesson plans that correlate with National Science Standards.
Toyota (NYSE: TM) established operations in North America in 1957 and will operate 15 manufacturing plants in North America by 2008. There are more than 1,700 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealerships in North America which sell more than 2.5 million vehicles a year. Toyota directly employs over 39,000 in North America and its investment here is currently valued at more than $17.6 billion, including sales and manufacturing operations, research and development, financial services and design. Toyota's annual purchasing of parts, materials, goods and services from North American suppliers totals more than $29 billion. According to a 2005 Center for Automotive Research study, Toyota, along with its dealers and suppliers, has generated nearly 400,000 U.S. jobs, including jobs created through spending by direct, dealer and suppliers employees. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyota.com.
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