Thirty-six elementary, middle and high school students from around the country submitted work to an art and photography contest created by an Indiana teen with the goal of raising money for ophthalmology research.

Teen’s fundraiser collects $1,600 for eye research

Mar 23, 2021

Manya Suresh, 14, collected about $1,600 with her 2021 Create for a Cause fundraiser. That money will be donated to Indiana University School of Medicine to benefit pediatric clinical research in the Department of Ophthalmology. She plans to continue the fundraiser in the future.

Manya used the fundraiser as an opportunity to teach young people and their families about ophthalmic conditions, including one she lives with called strabismus. Manya was diagnosed with strabismus, which causes misalignment of the eyes, when she was a toddler thanks to a preschool teacher who noticed it and discussed it with her parents. Catching the condition early meant doctors were able to intervene quickly.

Manya said she hopes Create for a Cause leads to more children getting the help they need. The contest was open to those in kindergarten through 12th grade. Each age group was assigned a theme meant to inspire their work, and two winners were chosen from each division.

Art was judged by Sandi Hass, an elementary school art teacher, and photography was judged by Rachel McCarver, a high school photojournalism teacher.

Below are the names of the winners:

Grades K-2

Theme: People (family, friends, famous people, etc.)

Pictured: Artwork by Nishil Rohit, who won first place in the Grades K-2 category of Create for a Cause 2021
Nishil Rohit, First Place

Artwork by Chad Pendleton, who won Second Place in the Grades K-2 category of Create for a Cause 2021
Chad Pendleton, Second Place

Grades 3-6

Theme: Eyes

Artwork by Agrata T., who won First Place in Create for a Cause in the Grades 3-6 category
Agrata T., First Place

Artwork by Shashwat Sabapathy, who won Second Place in the Grades 3-6 category of Create for a Cause 2021
Shashwat Sabapathy, Second Place

Grades 7-12

Theme: Face Portraits

Artwork by Layne Hoeflinger, who won First Place in the Grades 7-12 category of Create for a Cause 2021
Layne Hoeflinger, First Place

Artwork by Shruthika Kumar, who won Second Place in the Grades 7-12 category of Create for a Cause 2021
Shruthika Kumar, Second Place

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