Helen Belopavlovich earns the Friends of Finland 25 & Under and Audience Choice Awards are recent ceremony in Hancock

A Hancock resident earns the Friends of Finland 25 and Under and Audience Choice awards during Finnish Independence Day celebrations. Earlier this month the Friends of Finland Exhibit, Reception, and Award ceremony were held at the Finnish American Heritage Center in Hancock. The event coincided with the area’s celebration of Finland’s Independence Day, The inaugural event included artists’ works from Florida, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Colorado, California, Connecticut, Virginia, Wisconsin, Canada, and Michigan’s Upper and Lower peninsulas. Helen Belopavlovich earned the Friends of Finland 25 and Under award the event’s Audience Choice awards. She says attending the Rabbit Island School was where she started developing her artistic skills and has found inspiration through Upper Michigan’s beauty, nature, and history.