CNO Financial Group announced Friday the winner of its fourth annual corporate holiday and New Year’s card competition. The winning card features a watercolor snow globe scene from Reed Barton, 12, son of Emily Barton, a paralegal for CNO in its Carmel office.
The winning artwork will be used as the image on CNO’s official 2022 corporate holiday card.
“Congratulations to Reed and the 122 children and family members of our associates for their creative and thoughtful artwork,” CEO Gary C. Bhojwani said. “We are proud to use Reed’s winter scene for our holiday card. Annually this program showcases the talent among our associates’ families and celebrates our corporate commitment to giving back to the community.”
As the contest winner, Barton received an art kit, a $500 gift card, and $500 from CNO to donate to a charity of his choice: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
“I love art, being creative, and the opportunity to make people happy with something I created,” Barton, a sixth grader, said. “I liked participating, and more importantly, appreciate the ability to choose a charity to give back to. I have never been able to pick who I can help through other charities. It’s neat because it’s my choice, and that feels a little more special, especially to donate money to during the holiday season.”
“The holiday card program is the perfect event to combine the best parts of CNO”, said Emily Barton, Reed’s mother. “The program highlights CNO’s goal to give back to the community and shows how it is invested in its associates and their families. The competition brings out opportunities for happy, cheerful conversations amongst colleagues, leadership, and departments. At a time of the year when everyone is in a bit of a scramble, this program is a happy bright spot where both work and home combine to be fun, creative, and joyful.”
During September and October, immediate family members under the age of 18 were invited to submit artwork. Submissions included an array of holiday traditions celebrated by all CNO associates and their families. Associate judges representing most CNO departments chose the finalists.
CNO’s corporate holiday card contest began in 2019 providing associates’ family members an outlet to get involved with the CNO corporate community during the holiday season while giving back. All contestants received their choice of an art kit or an e-gift card. CNO also donates to the various organizations selected by the winner and runners-up. Beyond the grand prize winner’s charity, this year’s selections include:
- Humane Society for Hamilton County
- Riley Hospital Children’s Foundation
- Cheetah Conservation Fund
- Girls Inc. of Greater Indianapolis
- Northwest Indiana Cancer Kids Foundation
About CNO Financial Group
CNO Financial Group, Inc. secures the future of middle-income America. CNO provides life and health insurance, annuities, financial services, and workforce benefits solutions through its family of brands, including Bankers Life, Colonial Penn, Optavise and Washington National. CNO’s customers work hard to save for the future, and CNO helps protect their health, income and retirement needs with 3.2 million policies and $33 billion in total assets. A total of 3,400 associates, 4,400 exclusive agents and 4,700 independent partner agents guide individuals, families and businesses through a lifetime of financial decisions. For more information, visit CNOinc.com.