This month's club newsletter is attached at the bottom of this story.

Three Bluffton middle school artists are winners in this year’s Bluffton Lions Club peace poster contest. The artists were introduced at the Nov. 19 Lions Club meeting.

Winners: 
1st:   Karlee Geesaman, daughter of Kyle and Mindy Geesaman    
2nd:  Noah Bricker, son of Tyler and Sara Bricker
3rd:   Adie Hanefeld, daughter of William and Rebecca Hanefeld

Winners received a cash prize and certificate from Lions president Patty Navin. Each winner briefly explained how this year's theme, “Journey of Peace” was expressed in the artist’s poster.

Participants are in Bluffton middle school's seventh grade art classes, taught by Jackie Bourassa. In preparation for designing their entries, the class visited the Lion and Lamb Center at Bluffton University.  

Middle School art classes have participating in the contest for the past 10 years, with the contest used as a project in the class.

Judges were Jerry Szabo, Carolyn Rich and Jan Emmert, chair of this year's contest.  Entries were evaluated on artistic merit, originality and best expression of this year's theme “Journey of Peace.”

The first-place poster advances to the northwestern Ohio Lions District Governor and is entered in the  district level of the international contest.  

Winners at higher levels advance to compete at the international level for a grand prize and 23 merit winners. Worldwide about 600,000 students from many countries enter posters in the contest.

Lions clubs exist in over 200 countries, and share a focus on activities related vision and preventing blindness, helping youth and local service activities.  

The Bluffton Lions Club sponsors and raises funds for local activities, such as the developing the Bluffton bikeway paths, vision screening for Kindergarten and first grade children in several area schools, scholarships, Bluffton Festival of Wheels and the Citizen of the Year banquet.