Using money seized from narcotics traffickers, Will County State’s Attorney Jim Glasgow awarded $7,500 in scholarships to winners of a heroin awareness art contest.
“I can think of no better way to spend money that otherwise would have been used to pump deadly poison into our streets than to redirect these resources toward an educational campaign aimed directly at eliminating the market for heroin,” Glasgow said in a statement.
Jessica Johnson, a Plainfield Central High School senior, won a first place $3,000 prize for her work titled “Outer Demons,” while a second place $2,000 prize went to Alexis Smith, a Joliet Central High School sophomore, for her piece titled “Suffering.” Rebecca Kehney, a Lincoln-Way Central High School senior, received a third place $1,000 prize for “Heroin Kills.”
After reviewing the entries, Glasgow decided that an additional runners up category needed to be established because “the work that was submitted was so great,” according to a news release issued by Glasgow’s office.
“The judging was so difficult that he found three that he felt he couldn’t ignore,” said Chuck Pelkie, spokesman for Glasgow’s office.
So, he also awarded three additional $500 scholarships to students: Skylar Bojan, a senior at Lincoln-Way Central High School for “Looking Through the Needle;” JoHannah Ann Eckert, a freshman at Lincoln-Way North High School, for “The Needle Lies;” and Kolton J. Skeldon, a senior at Joliet Central High School for “Tombsday.”
More than 60 high school students from around Will County participated in the contest.
“The goal of this contest was to enlist high school students to sound a warning for their peers about the heroin scourge that has destroyed so many lives in Will County,” Glasgow said. “I asked students to first educate themselves about the horrendous dangers of using heroin, and then to use their knowledge to create a powerful piece of original artwork to drive home an anti-heroin message. Across the board, the artwork I received exceeded every expectation in terms of quality and thoughtfulness.”
Glasgow created the “Dangers of Heroin Art Scholarship Contest” to educate and protect young people.
“It’s catastrophic, there’s no doubt about it,” said Will County Coroner Patrick J. O’Neil in an earlier interview with the Daily Southtown about heroin. “In essence, it’s arch enemy number one.”
Heroin is responsible for more deaths in Will County than car crashes and homicides combined, he said.
In 2015, there were 53 deaths from heroin overdoses. Those numbers continue to climb and are expected to nearly double in 2016, he said.
Johnson’s first place piece will be featured on the back cover of the “Gang Awareness and Prevention Book,” scheduled for release later in 2016. The other winning art works will be included inside the book.
The book is distributed at schools and various community events. This edition will feature a chapter on the heroin epidemic, Pelkie said.
Erin Gallagher is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
