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
