A Farmington fifth-grader's artwork is being recognized here in Utah and nationally.
Abby Johnson attends Knowlton Elementary School in Farmington. She finds plenty of joy in drawings.
"It's fun and like kind of shows my imagination of things," Abby said.
She has turned that passion into a purpose.
Abby participated in the annual National Missing Children's Day Poster Contest. This is part of National Missing Children's Day, which President Ronald Reagan first proclaimed on May 25, 1983.
The day was started in memory of six-year-old Etan Patz, a boy who disappeared from a street corner in New York City on May 25, 1979.
The theme for the forty-first year of the contest is "Bringing Our Missing Children Home."
Abby walked FOX 13 News through the picture she drew.
"The little girl that went missing was like still with her, like right next to her, comforting her, even though she can't feel it," Abby said.
The picture, Abby says, shows a mom crying over her missing child. It also includes smaller details, like a cell phone.
"With the phone I put where it says Amber Alert and a crack, like the mom looked at it and dropped her phone," Abby said.
As well as, a picture that was ripped down the middle.
"It looks like the little girl drew it and I made it look like, I ripped it between her and her mom and I made it look like the mom was reaching her arms for her, like she wants her back," Abby pointed out.
Jenna Dahlke is Abby's fifth-grade teacher.
"There's a lot of emotionality in that picture and how hard it is as a parent to lose your child," said Dahlke. "You enter things like this and don't think that it will happen to you, but she has the capability to, to be something special."
Abby's work was recognized by the Utah Attorney General's Office, receiving a Certificate of Appreciation.
On their website, the AG's Office says "Abby’s artwork showcases the importance of bringing these children home while helping bring national awareness to this rapidly growing problem affecting so many Utah families. Her drawing has the potential to ignite conversations, educate communities, and inspire further action to address this pressing and heartbreaking issue."
Abby also earned top honors in the state of Utah.
"She said that she won first place for the State of Utah, so I was just really just touched and surprised," said Debbie Johnson, Abby's mother.
Abby says she was also surprised when she found out she got first place in the Beehive State.
"I thought I was going to get like, I don't know, like fifth or lower because I didn't expect that," Abby said.
Debbie told FOX 13 News she feels this contest is special.
"The love parents have for children and just wanting to make sure that our kids are safe and I love that because I feel like Abby's picture touches on that and I feel like that's why I was touched by, touched by it," Debbie said.
As for what Abby hopes people get from seeing her poster.
"I hope that, like, people realize that like, if your child's gone or, like, missing doesn't mean they're actually gone. They're always still, like, with you in your heart."
FOX 13 News spoke with an official with the United States Department of Justice on Friday, who said Abby finished as the second runner-up in the entire country in this contest for her artwork. They and the Johnson family say her work will be displayed at the DOJ.
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