Warren, AR-Each year, Shelter Insurance Companies holds a contest called “Thankful for Our Communities.” Five winners each receive a $5,000 grant for the charity of their choice. This year, Courtney Hamilton created a winning video about Warren and chose Make Warren Shine as the recipient of the $5,000 award. The check will be presented on September 29, 2021 at The Donald W. Reynolds YMCA at 6:30 p.m.
The rules of the contest required entrants to write an essay or create a video about what makes their communities special. The entry that earned the most votes was an automatic winner, and the next nine entries with the most votes were submitted to a panel of Shelter judges, who chose the next four winners.
Shelter has always encouraged community involvement, and this contest gives people an opportunity to explain what makes their communities stand out. According to Frank Thompson, Vice President of Marketing for Shelter, “We chose this approach because we wanted to point out the many positive aspects to the communities we serve and honor the people who can make a difference in those areas. We also wanted to find out what’s important to the citizens in these communities and help support those causes. This contest was a fun way to do that.”
Hamilton’s video titled “All Brick Streets Lead You Home” perfectly illustrates what life is like in Warren. She mentions the Pink Tomato Festival, the Bradley County Museum, red brick streets, parks and more. She also talks about how peaceful and serene the town is, with church bells playing at noon, as well as the courthouse, adding to the town’s charm.
In the video, she also talks about the qualities most of the citizens embody, the town’s industries and leisure time activities. She ends the video saying, “Our polite and friendly town always offers the promise of an enjoyable experience. Come see us, and make some memories.”
Photo courtesy of Leah St. John on the Make Warren Shine Facebook page.