Courtesy Photo | A service member poses during a Heartsapart.org photo shoot prior to deploying to...... read more read more
LOS ANGELES - Americans across the United States feel a sense of duty and commitment to the men and women serving our great country in the Global War on Terrorism as they stand vigilant protecting our borders thousands of miles away from home.
Finding ways to support our service members is a challenge that many face in an effort to make a difference in the everyday lives of these mothers, fathers, sons and daughters.
The non-profit organization HeartsApart.org is using creativity and the collective efforts of photographers from across America to provide service members and their families with a small token of appreciation that goes along way.
At no cost to service members and their families, HeartsApart.org provides soon to be deployed service members with the opportunity to receive photographs, taken by professional photographers, at no cost to those chosen to participate in this program.
The color photographs are printed on waterproof bi-folded cards, which can fit securely in the uniform pocket or even inside protective headgear of the loved one serving in harm’s way.
The chosen families also receive a CD containing up to 24 photos from their professional photo session.
A family portrait session with a lesser known photographer can be costly with the sitting fee, studio time and print costs.
The families chosen will not incur any out-of-pocket expenses.
“The world-class photographers volunteering for HeartsApart.org only make these portraits at no cost," said Brownie Harris, HeartsApart.org co-founder and director of photography, “the images they produce are second-to-none.”
Finding positive ways to show appreciation for those that service the United States of America is the driving force behind HeartsApart.org.
“We want to make sure that when a soldier is under fire, fighting for his life, he can reach into his breast pocket and look at HeartsApart.org photos of his loved ones and serve as a reminder of why these brave men and women do what they do,” said Harris.
"We want the service member to have the option to be able to look at the picture and say, 'I’m fighting today for this, for these people and I’m winning!'" Harris added.
To qualify for an opportunity to participate in HeartsApart.org, service members only need to be about to deploy in defense of America.
“We don’t just choose families based on people that we know,” said Harris.
The HeartsApart.org mission is to provide every military family with the opportunity to participate.
All a family needs to do is go to www.heartsapart.org and request a session. We then match families with an available photographer in their area.
“As the photographer pool increases, so will the amount of applicants we will be able to support,” said Harris.
Based in Wilmington, NC, but will has resources has a large foundation. HeartsApart.org currently has 150 volunteer photographers in over 30 states across the U.S.
“Our mission is to reach any family who wants their photos done before deployment,” said Harris. “If we are wanted, we will put a team together and get there.”
Mission Statement: “We appreciate what our Armed Forces are doing for our country and we believe that they deserve and need this gift of their families while they are deployed. This is something that we can do to help these men and women through some very tough times with a little piece of home.”
If you would like to get involved the non-profit organization HeartsApart.org, as photographer or make a donation, go to www.heartsapart.org.
“Keeping instep with “The Joining Forces Initiative,” we are not afraid to ask for help. This project is too big for anyone to take on alone. Without the help of sponsors, volunteers and donations, this program wouldn’t be an option,” said Harris. “Just like First Lady Michelle Obama’s message implies, we owe it to our fighting men and women to get involved any way we can.”
| Date Taken: | 08.05.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 08.05.2011 15:40 |
| Story ID: | 74918 |
| Location: | LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 433 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, HeartsApart.org bridges a gap between soldiers and what’s dear, by MSG Duane Brown, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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