December 20, 2024
When Itzy grows up, she wants to work in an art-related field or become a pediatrician. In the meantime, drawing has become a favorite hobby for the Mercy Home resident. But when she was announced as the winner of a t-shirt art design contest hosted by a local non-profit and a Chicago clothing brand, it came as a complete surprise to the teen.
“I didn’t think I was going to win or anything,” Itzy said. “I didn’t believe in myself.”
In April, youth care worker Jade Griffin’s nonprofit, The MVMNT, hosted the contest in collaboration with REDEAUX Clothing and invited many of our young people to participate. Griffin said close to 15 girls from Mercy Home entered, in addition to people from across the Chicago area.
“We didn’t give really any guidelines for the designs,” Griffin said. “It was whatever they wanted to create. Then, we’d put a twist to make the design fit the clothing brand. We gave them complete freedom over it. And everybody felt like (Itzy’s) was the most creative.”
In addition to receiving a cash prize for her design, Itzy is now the inspiration for the special members’ t-shirt available for purchase on the organization’s website. Sixty percent of all proceeds will be donated by REDEAUX to The MVMNT to help fund the Save the Youth Project, an initiative launched to provide Chicago youth with creative outlets and the necessary tools for success.
Itzy’s design features creative artwork of flowers and eyes. Her inspiration for it, she said, was her grandma.
“She’s my guardian,” Itzy said. “She’s like my mom and she likes plants and flowers too. And when Jade told me they were going to put a flower on the back of the shirt, I added an eye because my grandma likes to draw eyes.”
Her design took a complete day to create in Mercy Home’s craft cottage.
“I really appreciated it when she talked about why she decided what she drew,” Griffin said. “We all thought hers was the most creative. There were a lot of colors. It seemed like a pretty happy painting.”
Please congratulate Itzy and all the other girls who submitted artwork for the wonderful job that they have done to help make the world a better place.
“Our hope is that this opportunity will continue to open doors for Itzy and all her talents,” Griffin said.
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