A Life Worth Living – Inspirational Photography
| My travels have taken me to all parts of the world, where I have been fortunate to meet some amazing people doing incredible work on behalf of others. It is because of them that I am inspired to use my photographs to tell their stories in hopes of inspiring others to give back to their communities. Motivation Series: This series is meant to provide reminders of what is important, what matters, what is wanted and needed. One thing that I have learned in my travels, especially to third world countries and to the orphanages of Africa, Romania and Russia, is that many people don’t know they are poor until we tell them they are. A percentage of the sale of any orphan-related photograph will be donated to the orphans through one of the organizations I am currently involved with. Global Orphan Care Initiative www.globalorphancare.com Global Orphan Care Initiative (GOCI) is a volunteer association with a vision that every child in the world will have a safe home and loving family. GOCI serves as a resource for existing orphan care and adoption organizations, supports and promotes awareness and new solutions for orphans, and pioneers initiatives that maximize orphan care and the number of adoptions globally . As a volunteer with GOCI, I am working with a team researching in-country orphan care programs with the goal of implementing the “best practices” in other parts of the world. My inspirational photographs of orphans in Africa, Romania and Russia were taken as part of this endeavor. 2nd Chance at Life www.4greyhounds.org/prison Second Chance for Life is a prison project of the National Greyhound Foundation having a commitment to help bring jobs and unconditional love to the lives of inmates and greyhounds. Inspired by a child in a juvenile facility, Second Chance at Life heightens public awareness, provides a “foster home” for greyhounds and gives inmates the opportunity to find the hero within himself or herself. Once accepted into the program, inmates are held responsible for the care and training of their assigned rescued greyhounds for 24 hours a day over ar 12 week period, at which time the dog is ready for adoption. Studies indicate that violence has decreased significantly in prison wards participating in this program. My photography of the 2nd Chance for Life greyhounds and inmates have been used for fundraising purposes and will be included in an upcoming book on the subject. Cherokee Gives Back www.cherokeefund.com Cherokee Gives Back, the charitable outreach program for Cherokee Investment Partners, has funded or raised more than $20 million for nonprofit and community-based initiatives in the US and globally. In Africa, they have helped create hundreds of sustainable jobs and increased educational opportunities for children of all ages. Closer to home, they are committed to domestic organizations that serve neglected and abused children, increase affordable housing opportunities, and promote women's health issues, environmental causes as well as mentoring programs. My photographs of Ethiopian were taken while working on job creation and mentoring programs sponsored by Cherokee. |
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