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Americans Capture Memories for a Chance to Win
ROCK ISLAND, Ill. According to a Harris Interactive/Modern Woodmen of America poll, 91 percent of Americans stay in contact with family members through either phone calls or letters and photographs.
Given Americans’ strong interest in staying in touch with family members, Modern Woodmen of America is offering amateur photographers a chance to share their family memories in its Greatest Gatherings Photo Contest at www.gatherings.info. The purpose is to capture and share images of memorable gatherings important to Americans.
Anyone can obtain a registration form at www.gatherings.info. Participants may enter a photograph in one or all five categories. The categories include: largest gathering, most generations in a photo at a gathering, gathering held in an unusual place, most interesting photo of a child or children at a gathering and best moment captured at a gathering.
"Picture taking has been rekindled in recent years with the increased interest in scrapbooking," said Sharon Snawerdt, public relations coordinator at Modern Woodmen of America. "Now Americans are taking it a step further by using the Internet to share messages and photographs with friends and family. In fact, 66 percent of those polled in the study say they are interested in using the Internet to send or view family photos, but only 61 percent have actually used the Internet to e-mail or send photos. This contest is just one way to encourage Americans to stay in touch with family and friends."
One prize will be given away quarterly for each category and a digital camera valued at $350 will be given away to the grand-prize winner. All winners’ names, along with the winning photos, will be posted on the winner’s page at the Gatherings site.
To be eligible for the photo contest, an entrant must be a legal resident of the United States, age 18 years or older. The contest begins Oct. 1, 2002. Winners will be selected quarterly throughout the coming 12 months with the contest ending Sept. 30, 2003.
Gatherings.info, a Web site developed by Modern Woodmen of America, gives people tools to make planning a gathering simple and fun. Site users can ease the stress of planning a gathering by navigating through tips, lists and ideas on how to organize a gathering. The site provides not only planning checklists, location and travel advice, but also recipes, games, themes and photography tips, as well as suggestions on how to research your family tree.
Gatherings.info is developed and sponsored by Modern Woodmen of America, a fraternal life insurance organization based in Rock Island, Ill. Modern Woodmen serves more than 750,000 members nationwide, offering life insurance, annuity and investment* products, along with fraternal member benefits for families and their communities. Modern Woodmen developed the site as part of its fraternal mission to help people achieve quality of life.
*Securities offered through MWA Financial Services, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Modern Woodmen of America, 1701 1st Avenue, Rock Island, IL, 61201, 309-558-3100. Member: NASD, SIPC.
Media Contact:
Sharon Snawerdt
Modern Woodmen of America
(309) 793-5630
ssnawerd@modern-woodmen.orgShelby Kraus
Henry Russell Bruce Public Relations
(319) 298-0242
skraus@hrb-ideas.com