Nineteen children who won the 2002 Fair Housing Poster and Essay Contest were honored by the Wisconsin Fair Housing Network at a ceremony in the State Capital Building in Madison. The contest is held annually to raise the awareness of children about important concepts of equality and freedom of choice in housing - but the children's sincere and heart-felt entries help open the eyes of many adults, too.

Award winner Emily Fong and her family, of West Allis, WI, are joined by HUD Fair Housing Team Leader Dan Stotmeister; and Georgina Taylor of the Wisconsin Equal Rights Division.

This year's poster and essay contest theme was "Fair Housing: The Best Game in Town." The ceremony to honor the children was held in the Governor's Conference Room in the State Capital Building, in honor of the 34th anniversary of Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968. The children's posters and essays were sponsored by cities and agencies throughout the state, with winning entries coming from the Cities of Eau Claire, Fond du Lac, and West Allis; the Eau Claire County and Waukesha Housing Authorities; and Camp Fire USA among others. Each of the children received a framed certificate from HUD, a ribbon from the Wisconsin Equal Rights Division, and a check donated by the Fair Housing Network. The contest and ceremony were coordinated by the Wisconsin Division of Housing and Intergovernmental Relations, with the assistance of HUD staff.

The Wisconsin Fair Housing Network was created by HUD and the Wisconsin Realtors Association (WRA) to educate the public about fair housing issues. In addition to HUD and the WRA, the Network includes state and local government agencies, fair housing councils, local Realtor organizations, Community Housing Resource Boards, housing management agencies, community-based organizations, and other housing industry groups.

Mayra Cortez, of Waukeha, WI, a winner in the Fair Housing Poster Contest in the Fourth through Sixth Grade category, receives a certificate and check from Brian Schimming, Administrator of the Wisconsin Division of Housing and Intergovernmental Relations, and Ms. Taylor.	Erica Weber, of Eau Claire, WI, reads her winning essay as HUD Director Del Reynolds and Wisconsin Fair Housing Network Co-Chair Jean Lamers listen. Eirca also was a winner in the poster contest, making her a dual winner in the Kindergarten through Third Grade competition.