Summer art contest and free youth pass get young riders involved:
Representatives from Escambia County Area Transit (ECAT) today announced the launch of their summer youth initiatives. ECAT will hold a Youth Art Contest for students and offer a Summer Wheels Pass that allows youths to ride ECAT for free all summer long.
“ECAT is committed to serving all of Escambia County, including the youth in our area,†said Tonya Ellis, Director of Marketing and Community Relations for ECAT. “Our Art Contest and Summer Wheels Pass are designed to encourage young people to explore their community while engaging with public transit.â€
ECAT’s 2017 Youth Art Contest calls for students in Pre-K through 12th grades to submit a piece of ECAT-themed artwork. Winning entrants will have their art displayed on ECAT bus shelters for an entire year. Students can submit their work to the ECAT Terminal until Friday, May 26th at 4 p.m. Winners will be chosen based on creativity, originality and use of ECAT theme.
In addition to launching the Art Contest, ECAT will offer a Summer Wheels Pass this year. The pass will allow youth 18 and under to ride ECAT from Memorial Day to Labor Day at no charge.
“We are excited that ECAT will be offering the Summer Wheels Pass to our students again this summer,†said Escambia County School Superintendent Malcom Thomas. “A bus pass can mean easier access to the public libraries, the museums downtown, summer activities all over town and even the beach. We hope the passes will encourage families to spend their free time giving their students new experiences as well as making frequent trips to the libraries because we all know that summer reading is a great way for our students to avoid the summer slide.â€
The Summer Wheels Pass can be obtained with an application and a parent or guardian at the ECAT administrative office on Fairfield Ave. Both of ECAT’s summer youth initiatives are done in partnership with local businesses who work to support both the system and area youth. For a full list of sponsors and partners or to download the Art Contest entry or Summer Wheels Pass application, please visit GoECAT.com or call Tonya Ellis at 850-595-3229.