The
Parade Company and Skillman
Foundation today announced “The
Snowing Mountains,” Inspired by
Detroit 7th Grader Yuliana Ortiz,
from Clippert Academy the winner of
the 26th Annual Skillman
Foundation’s Float Design Contest
for America’s Thanksgiving Parade®
presented by Art Van. (Photo by HB
Meeks/Tell Us Detroit)
Parade
Company
presents
winning
student's
design
to life
during
26th
Annual
Skillman
Foundation
float
unveil
New
Float,
“The
Snowing
Mountains,”
Inspired
by
Detroit
7th
Grader
to Debut
in
America’s
Thanksgiving
Parade®
Presented
by Art
Van
DETROIT
– The
Parade
Company
and
Skillman
Foundation
today
announced
the
winner
of the
26th
Annual
Skillman
Foundation’s
Float
Design
Contest
for
America’s
Thanksgiving
Parade®
presented
by Art
Van.
Seventh
grade
student,
Yuliana
Ortiz,
from
Clippert
Academy,
was
joined
by her
family,
teachers
and
school
administrators
today as
she saw
her
winning
design,
“The
Snowing
Mountains,”
transform
into a
larger-than-life
float.
Images
can be
found
here.
The
float,
which
features
a
snow-covered
house on
a hill,
kids ice
skating,
snowmen
and
trees,
will be
led by
Ortiz
and her
family
during
America’s
Thanksgiving
Parade®
presented
by Art
Van. The
float
also
includes
an
80-foot
wrap
which
incorporates
the 2017
Honorable
Mention
winning
designs
along
with
other
entry
favorites.
“We are
proud to
partner
with The
Parade
Company
for
another
year
marked
by the
inspiring
designs
and
creativity
of local
Detroit
students,”
said
Tonya
Allen,
president
& CEO of
Skillman
Foundation.
“We were
impressed
by the
amazing
submissions
by
students
this
year.
Yuliana’s
designs
will be
the
perfect
complement
to this
year’s
parade
as it
rolls
down
Woodward
Avenue.”
“Skillman
Foundation’s
dedication
to
Detroit’s
students
continues
to
inspire
us year
after
year,”
said
Tony
Michaels,
president
& CEO of
The
Parade
Company.
“We are
grateful
for our
continued
partnership
and are
proud to
help
them
bring
Yuliana’s
vision
to
life.”
The
Annual
Skillman
Foundation’s
Float
Design
Contest
provides
Detroit
students,
from
grades
four
through
eight,
an
opportunity
to
design a
float to
appear
in
America’s
Thanksgiving
Parade®
presented
by Art
Van.
Five
2017
honorable
mention
winners
were
selected
and
invited
to see
their
designs
on
display.
The
students
include:
•
Makiyah
Degraffenreid
– Fisher
Upper
Magnet,
7th
Grade
“Circus
of
Colors”
•
Kimberly
Orozco –
Clippert
Academy,
7th
Grade
“Carousel”
• Khyra
Norman –
Fisher
Upper
Magnet,
8th
Grade
“Thanksgiving
is About
Giving”
•
Jordan
Jones –
Weston
Preparatory
Academy,
6th
Grade
“Dream
Neighborhood”
• Monica
Britt –
Bates
Academy,
7th
Grade
“The
Neighborhood
Zoo”
The
theme of
the 91st
America’s
Thanksgiving
Parade®
presented
by Art
Van is
“Woodward!!
Avenue
of
Dreams!”
The
theme
celebrates
the
beauty
of
Detroit’s
Woodward
Avenue
as well
as the
completion
of the
QLine
Detroit.
Woodward
Avenue
is the
backdrop
of this
annual
iconic
parade,
which
will be
broadcast
locally
on
WDIV-TV
Local 4
and in
more
than 190
cities
across
the
country.
The
Parade
Company
will
make a
series
of
announcements
for the
91st
year
including
new
float
builds
and
celebrities.
Recognized
as one
of the
best
Thanksgiving
parades
in the
country
by U.S.
News &
World
Report
Travel,
America’s
Thanksgiving
Parade®
presented
by Art
Van will
be held
on
Thursday,
November
23. The
Parade
will be
featured
on
WDIV-TV
Local 4,
including
a
one-hour
national
broadcast
reaching
more
than 190
major
cities
across
the
country.
News/Talk
760
WJR’s
Paul W.
Smith
will
host a
live
pre-parade
show
from 6
a.m.-
9:30
a.m. CBS
Radio
will
provide
live
parade
coverage
hosted
by 104.3
WOMC’s
Bobby
Mitchell
and
Stacey
DuFord
(Mornings
WOMC)
from 10
a.m. -
noon.
For more
information,
visit
theparade.org.
The
Skillman
Foundation
Created
in 1960,
the
Skillman
Foundation
is a
private
philanthropy
committed
to
improving
meaningful
graduation
rates in
the
Detroit
region,
so kids
are
ready
for
college,
career,
and
life.
The
Foundation
has
assets
of
nearly a
half-billion
dollars,
with an
annual
grants
budget
of $17
million.
The
Foundation
works to
achieve
its goal
by
investing
in
community
leadership,
neighborhoods,
safety
initiatives,
high-quality
schools,
social
innovation,
and
youth
development.
About
The
Parade
Company
Founded
in 1984,
The
Parade
Company
is a
not-for-profit
organization
governed
by the
Michigan
Thanksgiving
Parade
Foundation
whose
board of
directors
is
comprised
of key
civic
and
corporate
leaders
in the
greater
Detroit
region.
The
Parade
Company
is
celebrating
more
than 90
years of
Parade
tradition
in
Detroit
and is
committed
to
funding,
creating
and
executing
the best
family
events
in
Michigan.
The
Parade
Company
staff,
board of
directors
and
thousands
of
parade
volunteers
work
year-round
to bring
a wide
variety
of
magnificent
events
to the
City of
Detroit
and the
region
including
the Ford
Fireworks,
Strategic
Staffing
Solutions
Turkey
Trot,
and
America's
Thanksgiving
Parade®
presented
by Art
Van.
Follow
The
Parade
Company
on
Facebook,
Twitter
and
Instagram.