Teachers from preschool and primary education across Arad County can register their classes for the contest until Monday, March 9.

Vasile Goldiș Western University (UVVG) in Arad has launched the fifth edition of the campaign “A Smile for Everyone,” an educational and community project dedicated to children in preschool and primary school throughout Arad County. The campaign, organized in partnership with the Arad County School Inspectorate, runs from March to April and aims to cultivate empathy, solidarity, and care for those facing difficult moments.

As part of this initiative, each participating class will create Easter-themed decorations, which will be collected at the end of the campaign and distributed to patients admitted to the Arad County Emergency Clinical Hospital, as well as to residents of elderly care centers in the county. These simple but heartfelt gestures will bring a touch of light and hope during the Easter holidays to those in hospitals or care facilities.

In parallel, UVVG organizes workshops for children and parents, where participants will create candles from recyclable materials. These will also be distributed in hospitals and the wider community as symbols of solidarity and civic engagement.

The central message of the campaign is to teach children the meaning of empathy, care for others, and responsibility toward the community, transforming creativity and childhood joy into acts of support for those who need a smile.

The initiative is actively supported by the rector of Vasile Goldiș Western University, Prof. Dr. Habil. Coralia Adina Cotoraci, known for her consistent involvement in community projects and for promoting human values in both academic and social environments. Through such initiatives, the UVVG leadership encourages the university’s connection with the community and the involvement of students, faculty, and educational partners in projects that place care for people and social solidarity at their core.

Registrations for the campaign are open until March 9, and teachers who wish to enroll their class or group can do so by sending a simple email to concurs@uvvg.ro.

Children’s creations will be photographed and posted on the official Vasile Goldiș Western University Facebook page, where social media users can vote for their favorite collage by liking it. The top five works receiving the most likes will be awarded prizes.

The initiative has grown steadily each year. During the Christmas edition of the campaign, approximately 2,500 children actively participated, and thousands of patients, elderly people, and medical staff received small heartfelt gifts made by the children. The number of volunteers involved, UVVG students, continues to increase each year.