ANNAPOLIS – Lindsay Birckhead-Morton, a seventh grader at Snow Hill Middle School, traveled to Annapolis with board members and staff from the Coastal Association of REALTORS® (CAR) on Tuesday, April 25, for a special recognition ceremony with Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford.
The ceremony, held in the Maryland State House, honored 13 students from across the state who were chosen by the Maryland Association of REALTORS® (MAR) as finalists in this year’s Fair Housing Calendar Contest. Birckhead-Morton is the finalist from the Lower Eastern Shore. This is the second time she has won this contest.
Birckhead-Morton received a certificate of recognition and a gift from MAR, and her drawing, which depicts fair housing, will be featured in the 2018 statewide calendar. Birckhead-Morton previously received a certificate and gift from CAR for being one of three local finalists that were forwarded to MAR for consideration of inclusion in the calendar. The other two local finalists were Tashira Ballard, a third grader at Greenwood Elementary School, and Lyric Campbell, a fifth grader from North Salisbury Elementary School.
“We’re very proud of Lindsay for winning this contest twice,” said CAR President Don Bailey. “She’s a wonderful artist and she does a great job of capturing the true meaning of fair housing through her drawings.”
The annual contest is sponsored by CAR and MAR. “Fair Housing” pertains to the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discrimination in the sale and rental of housing based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, or handicap. The contest aims to teach children that discrimination is not only wrong, but illegal.
Artwork submitted by students had to illustrate this year’s theme, “I ♥ Fair Housing.”
CAR will begin accepting submissions for next year’s contest in the beginning of 2018.