Giving Back: Our Charitable Involvement
Giving back to the community is important to WHCC and our staff. Over the years, WHCC has partnered with numerous organizations and clients to give back to those in need. Below is just a small list of those we continue to work with.
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Extreme Makeover Home Edition (EMHE) airs on ABC each Sunday evening across the United States. Each week, EMHE provides a deserving family with a renovated or new home. It’s a race against time on a project that would normally span several months, involving a team of designers, contractors and hundreds of workers who all have just seven days to totally rebuild and furnish an entire house! The lucky homeowners always have a heartening back-story: heroes, community leaders, and a plethora of inspirational families are truly the heart and soul of the show.
From the materials to the labor, everything on EMHE is donated. Several WHCC clients have donated their time to photograph the family as well as the experience of rebuilding a home in just one week. Often these images are displayed prominently within the new home. WHCC has been honored to provide EMHE the actual artwork that hangs in many of these homes including Gallery Wraps, Photographic Prints, and Standout.
One of the joys of EMHE is that it is televised. We’re able to watch as the family walks into their new home and pauses in front of their new family portrait that we helped make happen.
"What's amazing is that when we plan for spaces just like we do with our family of Allison Rodgers Photography clients, we're working off of floor plans for a home that doesn’t exist yet. It can get pretty crazy! WHCC has been so generous about going above and beyond any of our or EMHE's requests. Whenever we shoot for EMHE we work with the designers and Ty to get them very specific pieces. Whether is artwork of details from the kitchen - so when the new kitchen is finished some of the nostalgia is there, or carrying across a concept visually for a certain room. Hands holding hands were the main concept for the Master Bed room in our Montgomery Alabama home. This was to represent how Monica likes to take care of people and such an overwhelming way. In our Hattisburg MS house our visual focus for the Master Bedroom was about the husband’s handwritten letters and well as focusing on a symbol that represented he father while he was away - his badge. We also work on personal interests for some of the children like basket ball but done in a way that creates images to be used as decor. We've done this for kids that are into nature, sports. Making the images have emotional value is a must on this show - they have to see their hearts in this work. It's what helps tie them to the new house and we are so honored to join forces with WHCC every chance we get to create art work for these homes."
-Jeff & Allison Rodgers - Allison Rodgers Photography - Olive Branch, Mississippi
NILMDTS - Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep
NILMDTS provides a helping hand and a healing heart to families supporting and cherishing the life of a baby or young loved one that may not have survived the beautiful journey of pregnancy or birth. WHCC has played a part in helping to keep their spirit living through printed photographs. In 2007, a large monetary donation from WHCC, allowed this organization to hire their first Executive Director! To this day we continue our support of the NILMDTS organization. Our owner, Mike Hanline sits on the Board of Directors for NILMDTS and we are continuing our support with photographic prints for the NILMDTS Photographic Art Fundraising Project. WHCC has donated the printing of photographic prints that are hand-signed and numbered by a handful of the industry’s most well-known. For more information about NILMDTS, visit http://www.nowilaymedowntosleep.org
"Photography is a gift we use to capture an experience that is extraordinary, irreplaceable and life changing. As co-founder of NILMDTS, I’ve felt all of those things through photography by capturing the beloved children who never made it home from the hospital. Thanks to the generous support of WHCC, our organization has over 7,000 members that can assist families in the healing process by providing free portraiture all over the world. I truly believe this work was supposed to be done and that we (NILMDTS) were only the starting point of something that goes far beyond us. The reality is, we cannot change what is happening to these families. However, we can change the way they heal for the rest of their lives."
-Sandy Puc - NILMDTS Co-Founder - Sandy Puc' Portrait Design - Littleton, Colorado
Flashes of Hope
Flashes of Hope is a non-profit organization dedicated to creating uplifting portraits of children fighting cancer and other life threatening illnesses. The portraits are taken by award-winning photographers and WHCC provides each child with an 8x10 and proofs of their session! These children and their families cherish these photographs and their experience with Flashes of Hope when they are presented with beautiful images of themselves, not to mention the feeling of confidence they are given. For more information about Flashes of Hope, visit http://www.flashesofhope.org
"Since January of 2006, I have been creating portraits with Flashes of Hope, an incredible organization which provides free portraiture to families of children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Creating portraits for Flashes of Hope has been some of the most challenging and satisfying work of my 16 year career. When you meet children who are battling for their lives, it forces you to reassess your own life and think about the blessings that you have, like my beautiful wife and three healthy boys. It makes you realize that many things in life are not as difficult as we make them, that often we make mountains out of molehills when we should really just open our eyes and take stock of the incredible fortune of our world. White House Custom Colour has graciously donated the printing for Flashes of Hope since they began. At the time, I was using another lab, but when I saw the incredible prints WHCC was producing for Flashes of Hope, I switched and have been a satisfied customer ever since. Their printing is superior, and their customer service and turnaround time is unbeatable. I'm a huge fan!"
-Parker Smith - Parker Smith Portraits - Atlanta, Georgia
Help-Portrait
Help-Portrait is a movement of photographers who use their time and expertise to give back to those who are less fortunate. Help-Portrait was started by celebrity photographer Jeremy Cowart with the vision of the photography community to give back during the holiday season. Last year, more than 8300 photographers and volunteers united around the world on December 12th. The goal of Help-Portrait was to find someone in need, take their portrait, print their portrait, and then deliver their portrait. WHCC provided photographic prints to just over a half dozen different photographer teams that touched over 400 families and individuals. This year’s Help-Portrait date is December, 4 2010. To be part of this movement in photography, visit the official website http://help-portrait.com
"With the support of WHCC, we took part in a worldwide movement of photographers called Help-Portrait. The movement's mission is to find a person in need, take their picture, print their picture and give them their picture. The idea is to give for the sake of giving, to give them a photo of themselves n order to help them realize how special and beautiful they are. Over 6,000 photographers in nearly 60 countries across the world took over 20,000 photos on Saturday - amazing. I led a fantastic group of about 35 photographers, photography assistants, hair stylists, makeup artists and general volunteers during our event at the Salvation Army Harbor Light Center in downtown Minneapolis. The Center is a shelter and social services center where many people either do not have a home, are troubled with mental illness or drug abuse, and/or need help getting back on their feet. We chose Harbor Light because of the central location to downtown as well as its association with the Christian faith.
There at the center, we set up 6 professional photography studio bays and began taking photos. Kevin was our first client - he heard about what we were doing and was excited not only to be a part of it, but also was excited to be #1. He said, he hadn't felt like #1 in a long time. He planned on giving one of the photos to his mother and to keep another in his wallet so he could remember the gifts we gave him. Another woman I talked to was excited to have her hair and makeup done. She had just had all her teeth pulled and was too shy to smile or speak very loudly. She was transformed right before my eyes and was so happy when she saw her photos. She was resisting her smile getting too big, but I could see the overwhelming happiness in her eyes. The worldwide event received national attention from both CBS Nightly News and CNN. Our group in Minneapolis also received some media attention from Fox 9 and WCCO (Channel 4). There are also videos on the Help-Portrait web site. You can help but be moved. I have no doubt that the group of volunteers and I will do this type of event again, but for now, we are all reeling from the day, the people, the gifts we gave and the amazing stories we heard. It has made me thankful for what I have, but also shows me that even a simple act of kindness goes along way with people that have nearly nothing."