Stamp cause in the Daily Planet health section

Canadians select stamp design

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WRITTEN BY BRANDI DOUCETT

THURSDAY, 17 FEBRUARY 2011 16:22

0 Comments Share 0digg Canadians are being given the chance to vote on a new stamp design for the first time ever. The new design’s mission is to raise mental health awareness and extinguish the stigma attached to mental health issues. “One in five Canadians are touched by mental illness so we wanted to throw [the opportunity to design a stamp] to all of Canada and see if they had the right design,” Cindy Daoust, Cause of Choice manager at Canada Post, told thedailyplanet.com. Marie Tomeoki's submission for the Canada Post stamp design competition that opened on Wednesday. “Normally the final design would be decided by the Stamp Advisory Committee, but this is the first time ever that Canadians will be voting on their favourite design,” said Daoust. From 300 submissions, the Advisory Committee narrowed the number down to the top five. These five designs are now open to the public to vote on. Over the past three years Canada Post has raised $4.8 million towards mental health initiatives. The money raised, “goes back towards communities across the country to organizations that provide mental health programming,” said Daoust. One of the top five designs, created by Marie Tomeoki of Toronto, is called Forecast Hope. “I came across the competition by chance because I was looking for a cause that I could support,” Marie Tomeoki told thedailyplanet.com. The stamp design was originally an acrylic painting created by Tomeoki. She said her inspiration comes from her own personal experiences and travels.  “It was really important to me because I’ve dealt with chronic depression and anxiety,” said Tomeoki. “Creating my art pieces really supports my well-being.” She said she’s looking forward to supporting mental awareness because the country needs to feel more comfortable talking about mental health issues. “Anything that creates reaction is a positive thing,” said Tomeoki. Voting opened on Feb. 16 and will remain open until March 14. Votes are limited to one vote per design, per computer, per day. The winner will be announced in April.