Archive for Philanthropy
March 4, 2010 at 3:49 pm · Filed under Art, Philanthropy
VOICES OF HAITI by JEREMY COWART
http://voicesofhaiti.com/
For the next 60 days, Jeremy will be releasing one photo a day from his “Voices of Haiti” photo essay.
Buy a Print, Rebuild a People :)
Jeremy Cowart Photography is donating 100% of net proceeds minus printing and mailing cost from your purchase to Safewater Nexus, a non-profit organization aligned under the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. As all proceeds are restricted solely for the purchase of tents for the Home in Haiti project, Safewater Nexus will purchase tents directly from the “A Home in Haiti” program and deliver them to the sites most in need.
“Love Conquers All.”
photo by Jeremy Cowart
“We heard that evening that there was a wedding taking place. Immediately we started driving around in the general area where the wedding was and we finally found it. The bride and groom were walking out the door as we pulled up. We explained the concept and they agreed right away. As soon as we asked them if they knew what they had to say, they wrote down “Love Conquers All.” It was a stunning statement for such a devastating time of need. After the photo was taken, we drove them to their “honeymoon” in a tent city.” [excerpt from http://voicesofhaiti.com/]
December 19, 2009 at 10:48 pm · Filed under (FIDAMO - News), (FIDAMO - Photoshoots), Philanthropy
The final numbers are in!! =D
This past Saturday…HELP-PORTRAIT Indy….with the help of 40 volunteers….
** Fed 140 women & children (thank you Mel & Ella’s Memorial Fund)
** Decorated 70 Christmas Cookies (thank you Mel & Kids Team)
** Handed out 100 Children’s Books (thank you Katie Alsman & Pearson Education)
** Handed out 80 Gift Bags to female participants (Thank you Ashlee & Mallory)
** Styled 90 women (Thank you Kalli and Stylist Team)
** Photographed 234 men, women, and children (Thank you Alan & photography team)
** Provided 96 framed family photos (Thank you Jay and print team)
** Filmed one 3-5 minute viral documentary & one 30 minute documentary (to be submitted to film festivals & encourage future give back efforts — thank you Sam & video team)
OH MY GOODNESS!!! WHAT A DAY!!!! =D
…before I write a quick blog about the day, I want to extend a HUGE THANK YOU to Julia Sipes, Jeff Stanger, and the Salvation Army Battered Women & Children’s shelter for welcoming us into your home…AND to Jordan Young for offering up the idea and getting the entire ball rolling!
Help-Portrait // Photog Team Family Portrait
Photog Team Family Photo
From Top Left : Brian Logan, Jeremiah Laughner, Carl Frye, Joseph Lee, Alan Brockman, Josh Hollandsworth, Marc Lebryk, KT Moon, Mitzi Wilson, Stacy Able, Amy Brucker Castillo
HELP-PORTRAIT Indy 2009
The holidays are known for being the happiest time of the year, but for some…they can also be the hardest. For those at the Salvation Army Battered Women & Children’s shelter facing cases of domestic violence, stalking abuse, and forced prostitution… Christmas this year takes on a new meaning. For these women & children…Christmas is a fresh start and a second chance for a healthy life. I cannot say enough for what the Salvation Army and the shelter do for these families. Their gifts extend year round and impact people for a lifetime.
For the 40 individuals who volunteered on Saturday, we were offered a small window into that world and into the lives of those who will fight harder battles than most of us could ever imagine. We were quite literally invited into their new home…and for the 10 minutes or 20 minutes that we had with each person…we were given a very special opportunity…the opportunity to be that healthy relationship….one based on shared trust and respect for the value that each person brings to the world. It may seem like such a small thing, something many of us take for granted…a photo. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words…and after Saturday, I truly understand why.
I could write pages upon pages telling stories from the day, the people that I met, the new friends that I made, the many ways that I feel inspired and rejuvenated….but the most important thing on a day like today…is to say THANK YOU. THANK YOU to everyone who came out and offered their talents on Saturday. THANK YOU to the 7 team leaders who organized parts of the event. THANK YOU to those who donated product, equipment, food, time, & energy. THANK YOU all for being you.
It truly is a beautiful thing…when people come together to share their talents and to make the lives of another a little brighter. Watching everyone interact and love on these families…checking them in, handing out gifts, playing with the children, styling hair, doing makeup, conducting photoshoots, interviewing/filming/telling the story/encouraging future give back, editing prints, handing out frames (and the list goes on & on…) I am still overwhelmed with gratitude. Similar to the last post I will end by saying….I am so thankful that give-back still means more in our current society than pushing a button on FB…….I am thankful for the many gifts and talents that each person brings into the world…..Tis the Season (but isn’t it always). I am thankful for you. :)
Happiest of Holidays! xo KT
December 17, 2009 at 11:03 pm · Filed under (FIDAMO - News), (FIDAMO - Photoshoots), Philanthropy
Help-Portrait 2009 … T minus 36 hours! :)
You know what I love about life today? :) Waking up knowing that in less than 36 hours I will have the opportunity to stand alongside a team of 40 amazingly talented individuals — with one goal in mind — bringing happiness to 130 strangers.
It’s a funny thing…self worth. I’ve learned that one of the easiest ways to give that gift to another…is through giving it to yourself (and vice-versa). It is possible for certain acts to be both selfish and selfless at the same time — maybe neither can fully exist without the other? That debate, we can save for another day…but what I know to be true today…is that (this coming Saturday) strangers will turn into friends, gifts will be shared, and individuals will learn more about themselves and others than they have the opportunity to on any other average day. Certain outcomes are inevitable when you give a part of yourself to another.
As I was sharing with a few select Help-Portrait members at our first meeting — 6 months ago I was completely frustrated with work. I had hit a wall. Don’t get me wrong…I will be the first to stand up and give a thousand thanks for all of the amazing opportunities that have fallen into my lap over the last year and a half (most of which, I still couldn’t fully explain)…but still, something was missing. There was a part of me that couldn’t help but wonder…with all that I have been given, shouldn’t I be giving part of that to others? As a creative minded person…is there a purpose to my current path? Sure, I’ve gotten to a point where I feel that I can take pretty photos…but is “pretty” where it ends for me? — There are obvious personal implications & situational aspects to each one of those questions, but maybe you understand that too…wanting more in life…wanting to live a life that has meaning.
A funny thing happened after that. “Meaning” found me. –maybe all we have to do is learn to ask the right questions? — Regardless of the why’s….the point is…it started happening. The Salvation Army // Homelessness Bites campaign fell into my lap…bringing with it Vagrant Voice (a grass roots campaign to positively impact the lives of the homeless)…”The Disaster at the Royal American Hotel” (book project) …. around the same time, I was off again to another foreign land, foreign customs, and foreign faces (bringing more personal & professional growth) … then came Help-Portrait. — All of which come with their own background & stories to one day share with friends…but today (in my little corner of the world) I have to say…I am most thankful for the self-worth that comes through the opportunity to give to others.
Maybe one day we’ll sit around a table (or firepit) sharing stories about our ‘personal legend’ & the path from here to there (maybe we won’t) — but today, it’s truly not about that. What inspires me on a random Friday morning…isn’t details…but an amazing gratitude and thankfulness for the personal gift(s) that every person is/are given. — and by gifts, I don’t mean a shiny object wrapped in pretty paper & presented below a tree — by gifts, I mean the acknowledgement that each person is born with specific talents that make them unique and valuable. I am thankful that such things exist and that they bring meaning, not only to the bearer of the gift(s), but to others as well.
In lieu of running a tangent on a wild goose chase…what I want to say is this….
I am thankful for days like today. I am thankful that life has brought me to a place where I not only recognize, but also appreciate the individuality of others (regardless & regarding race, creed, religion, social/economic status, etc). I am thankful that “give-back” still means more in our current society than merely clicking a button on FB. I am thankful that the barrier between a homeless woman & child seeking shelter and safe haven from stalking abuse is not so far from a twenties-something middle class creative still trying to find her own path & way through life. I am thankful that whether or not each person sees the worth that they have or bring to the life of another…their worth will continue to be shared and will inevitably inspire/impact others in return.
Above all else, I am thankful that I can say to you with 100% conviction….We all have something to offer to the world…”Tis the Season… (but isn’t it always)”. I am thankful for you.
