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San Mateo High School Students Dominate The Holiday Card Art Contest

Inspirational art gives hope to those who await organ transplants

(San Ramon, CA) January 22, 2019 – San Mateo High School student, Rachel Tse was awarded first prize in an annual contest. Three of the six awards went to students from Ms. Julie Stock’s art class at San Mateo High School. Ryan Zhang was the Anime Winner, and Alisa Higuchi won the Community Choice award.

Lexie Walker from Lodi High School placed 2nd; Athena Wang from Circle of Independent Learning Charter School in Fremont won 3rd place; and, Sally Ha of Oak Grove High School in San Jose won the Social Media Favorite award. The art contest was organized by Donor Network West, the organ and tissue recovery organization for Northern California and Nevada.

The 2018 art contest was open to high school students residing within the service area for Donor Network West. The hope of the annual contest is to highlight the generosity of organ donation especially during the season of giving. Donor Network West received many entries and Tse’s art was selected as the top entry by the judges. Tse’s artwork, which displays multiple hands holding a snow globe with a family within it, was inspired by the contest’s theme, Every Gift Matters: Together, We are Saving and Healing Lives through Organ, Eye & Tissue Donation. Her artwork highlights the giving nature of the holiday season and the giving nature of organ donation. The multiple hands supporting the snow globe recognizes the many hands working together behind the gift of organ donation.

From left: Julie Stock, Rachel Tse, Ryan Zhang, Alisa Higuchi

Along with her first place award, Tse’s artwork was used as Donor Network West’s 2018 Holiday Card inspiring thousands throughout the holiday season. Tse and each of the award winners also received gift cards for their inspirational works of art.

The season of giving doesn’t end with the holidays, it continues on every day with the selfless gift of organ donation. People who chose to be organ donors are offering the gift of life to another person.

More than 20,000 wait for a life-saving organ transplant in California and Nevada. One organ donor can save the lives of up to eight people and a tissue donor can heal more than 75 others. Anyone can register as a donor at DonorNetworkWest.org or at the DMV. For more information on the Art Contest visit: Donornetworkwest.org/art-contest/

Rachel Tse’s 1st Place Artwork

January 22, 2019