Carson teen wins art contest

An original piece of artwork created by a Douglas High School student has been voted a “Facebook Fav” in a contest among more than 40 student artists in two states.Luis Mora’s work received the honor in the 2012 California Transplant Donor Network’s Holiday Card Art Contest. Voters registered their favorite by liking his artwork the most among the entries representing the need for more people to register as organ and tissue donors. Student submissions came from Northern Nevada as well as Northern California.Mora, 17, of Carson City accepted the challenge of envisioning artwork that carried out the contest theme, “Believe in giving: Organ and tissue donation.”“I wanted to create a design that would be appealing to others and convey a message of care through need. I combined individual images that represented what becoming an organ donor is all about,” said Mora, who received a $50 gift card and a framed copy of his art.His work represented the idea of healing through donation with a heart symbol and clasped hands. According to the donor network, more than 116,000 people are waiting for organs nationally, including 24 people in Carson City and 172 people in Washoe County.“The art contest helps engage these young people in a very creative way along with increasing their understanding of the impact donation can have on others,” said Wendy Knorr, a Reno-based community development liaison for CTDN. “It was wonderful to see so many participate and help share the message.” All contest entries can be seen on CTDN’s Facebook page.CTDN links organ donors and transplant centers. Nevadans can register to be an organ and tissue donor at donatelifenevada.org or at the DMV when getting or renewing a state driver’s license. The California Transplant Donor Network helps 175 hospitals in 41 Northern and Central California and Northern Nevada counties, offering the option of organ and tissue donation to families whose loved ones have died, coordinating deceased organ recovery and placement, and providing public education with the hope that every resident will become a donor. It is federally designated as this region’s organ recovery organization. For more information, visit ctdn.org or call 1-888-570-9400.