Cozy Cat Coloring Contest
How will your Cozy join in the spirit of Halloween fun? The ACCO is hosting its first-ever Cozy Cat Coloring Contest and we can’t wait see all of the fun, spooky, creative costumes you can come up with!
Starting October 7 through October 23, the ACCO is accepting submissions of pictures of Cozy Cat that you have decorated! You may use any creative, fun idea you can come up with to create the grandest costume you can think of for one of the five Cozy images we have selected to use for this year’s content. Crayons, markers, colored pencils, paint, computer graphics, feathers, ribbons, gem stones, glitter glue: whatever you can dream up to decorate your Cozy image, you can use, and we can’t wait to see the amazing results!
To participate, select one of the five images of “Cozy the Port-a-Cat” from the ACCO’s website: https://www.acco.org/cozycoloring/. The available options are:
This contest is open to all children and teens, and each participant may submit up to five decorated images. When you have picked your very best Cozy Cat image(s), send a scanned image or a photo of your child’s submission to cperry@acco.org, message it to the ACCO’s Facebook page, or mail it to:
American Childhood Cancer Organization
Attn: Cozy Coloring Contest
10920 Connecticut Ave. Ste. A
Kensington, MD 20853
When submitting your entry, please indicate your child or teen’s name, age group (see below), and type of cancer they are fighting or have fought.
Between October 26 and October 30, all colored Cozy submissions will be posted on our Facebook page, organized within three age groups: 1-4 years, 5-10 years, and 11-18 years. The top three images to receive the most votes in each age group will receive our special prize: a Go Gold custom prize package. All submissions will be included in our Halloween 2015 Cozy Coloring Album!
For more details on this fun content, as well as a guide to the complete rules, please visit the ACCO’s website at: https://www.acco.org/cozycoloring/.
Who is “Cozy the Port-a-Cat”?
Cancer is a terrifying experience for children and youth of all ages. For the child or teen who already feels sick, the constant barrage of tests with painful needles and uncomfortable machines, the countless numbers of doctors and nurses hovering around, and the frequent hospital visits and extended hospital stays can be overwhelming. And for parents, who are trying to provide comfort while remaining calm in the face of their own fears, finding the words to explain what is happening presents yet another difficult challenge.
Cozy the Port-a-Cat can help! This soft, plush stuffed animal—a warm, fluffy cat—has been specially designed by the ACCO as both a teaching tool and a companion for children. Designed to be soft and loveable to provide comfort, company, and something to hug, Cozy the Port-a-Cat is also designed to help parents explain tests and procedures to the young child. Cozy has strategically-placed patches to represent port access, bone marrow aspirate, gastrostomy tube (g-tube), spinal tap, and a hand IV, so parents and medical personnel can use Cozy to demonstrate where the test or procedure will take place. The child can even watch Cozy have the procedure first! Cozy comes in two sizes: 13” Cozy is available free to all children battling childhood cancer; 17” Cozy is available for purchase through the ACCO online store.
“Cozy the Port-a-Cat” is just one of many resources developed by the ACCO to help make the lives of children and families facing childhood cancer just a little bit easier. Like Cozy, many of these resources are designed specifically for children, to help them understand what they are going through and to provide aid and comfort whenever possible. For example, the Medical Play Kit includes small, child-friendly replicas of many of the tools and instruments commonly used during cancer treatment, including a stethoscope, wrap tape, thermometer, arm board, band aid holder, pill bottle, tubing and syringes, and rubber gloves and two face masks: one for the child and one for Cozy! The Cozy Cares Journal helps older children understand and articulate the difficult feelings that often develop during and after cancer treatment. These and many other resources, all available free to children and families fighting cancer, are designed to help families cope and even thrive during this all-too-difficult time.
The American Childhood Cancer Organization is dedicated to offering assistance, support, and guidance to children facing childhood cancer and their families. Founded and led by survivors—individuals who have themselves or whose children have been touched by childhood cancer and its late effects—the ACCO is guided by a deep, personal commitment to doing everything we can to make the lives of the children courageously battling this deadly disease just a bit easier. To find out how you can help, we encourage you to visit www.acco.org for more information on our critical mission and specifics on how you can help us eliminate this threat to our children forever.
Kids Can’t Fight Cancer Alone!™
For more information about the American Childhood Cancer Organization and how we can help, call 855.858.2226 or visit:
