Give a Gift That Gives Back with Kids Tag Art Pinellas
Give a Gift That Gives Back with Kids Tag Art Pinellas
PINELLAS COUNTY, FL – Since the beginning of the 2021 school year, 5th-grade students at elementary schools across Pinellas County have been working diligently to design custom front-facing license plates. Now, the results of the students’ hard work and creativity are available for purchase at kidstagartpinellas.org. Holiday delivery is guaranteed if ordered before December 1, 2021.
Kids Tag Art Pinellas is a partnership with the Pinellas County Tax Collector, Charles W. Thomas, and Pinellas County Schools, in which funds are raised for local elementary art classrooms by encouraging 5th-grade students to design their very own, front-facing vanity plates during art class. These plates are then sold to the public with 100 percent of the proceeds returning to the participating art classrooms.
“Each student is a citizen of our community and we feel that creativity is essential to a child’s future success,” Charles W. Thomas explains, “My team and I look forward to this program every year. The imagination shown by these students is incredible and we love the opportunity to help fuel and fund elementary art programs.”
Designed by Oliver O. from Curlew Creek Elementary
2021-2022 marks the seventh consecutive year of this program and this year it offers over 2,300 artwork entries. Since its inception, more than $250,000 has been raised for local elementary art classrooms and programs. The metal vanity tags cost $16 each with $3.50 shipping and handling. Tags will be on sale through the end of May 2022 at kidstagartpinellas.org.
Kids Tag Art is also a juried art contest. Student winners from each school are selected to be honored in an award ceremony at Largo High School on January 20th, 2022. The winning artwork is selected by a panel of judges made up of retired art teachers – each Award of Excellence winner receives a special certificate and medal to mark their achievement. Program sponsors select designs to receive special honors by choosing their favorite design or best work from a themed contest. Sponsor Choice winners receive a framed copy of their design on a metal tag. The coveted top honor, the Tax Collector Choice Award, is personally selected by Thomas.
For the second year in a row, teachers are invited to submit a design that is entered into a social media for a chance to win additional funds for their classroom. Make sure to cast your vote when the contest launches, December 1st, on the tax collector’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages, @PinellasTC.
In addition to the tag sales and contests, Kids Tag Art Pinellas helps to bridge the elementary art funding gap by collecting donations from generous community sponsors. This year’s program sponsors include: Tag Agency of Pinellas, Direct Mail Systems, DPRINT, Florida Heart Research Foundation, Bill2Pay, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, Office & Flooring Worx, Lauren’s Kids, PostcardMania, Motor Vehicle Network, Holiday Inn & Suites Harbourside, AutoNation Ford, Liberty Lanes, Grant Street Group, MicroLumen, and Umai Café. To find out more about the program, or to become a sponsor, visit pinellastaxcollector.gov/KTA. Follow agency updates about Kids Tag Art Pinellas on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, @PinellasTC.
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ABOUT THE PINELLAS COUNTY TAX COLLECTOR’S OFFICE: The Pinellas County Tax Collector’s Office is a constitutionally elected office. Responsibilities include collecting and distributing state and local taxes and providing driver license and motor vehicle registration services to Pinellas County residents. For more information, visit pinellastaxcollector.gov.