Giving Back...

Like so many others, I was horrified and devastated to hear about the Sandy Hook School shooting. This event happened while we were celebrating our wedding vow renewal last week in the Bahamas and it's still hard for me to fathom just how something as terrible as this could happen. Immediately I also started to think about how I could change even one thing in my life to honour those beautiful little souls lost, and their teachers.

A couple of days ago, this page popped up in my facebook feed and I knew immediately that offering up a free photo shoot to someone in need, once a year, around the anniversary of the tragedy, would be a perfect way to handle my need to remember and to give back in the name of those killed.

Please go here to read more about it http://www.facebook.com/TheOliviaAct

I've always stressed how important it is to create and capture memories via a camera, professional or not. For the families affected by this tragedy, pictures are now all they have left :(

And from now until January 10, 2013, I will be taking nominations from anyone and everyone who knows of a deserving family/child who could benefit from a free, professional photo shoot. The date and location of the shoot is yet to be determined and while I will normally do this in November/December every year, this year will be a little different because of the timing of everything.

Please send nominations to shayward1@cogeco.ca with "The Olivia Act" in the subject line. You may nominate up to 3 children/families. Nominated families/children must reside in the Niagara Region, Ontario. The winner will be contacted sometime after January 15, 2013. The winner may choose to remain anonymous if they so desire.

If anyone has any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me at shayward1@cogeco.ca.

And please, everyone, do your part somehow in paying it forward in this lifetime....we all need to appreciate each other and love each other just a little bit more. We have no idea what tomorrow will bring.