During October, Kim Jew Photography will be joining with photographers from across the country with PPA Charities (the philanthropic arm of
Professional Photographers of America) in promoting “Family Portrait Month.”
This national fundraising effort will benefit Operation Smile, which treats children around the world who suffer with cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities.
During October, families can have their portrait taken for the low fee of $29.95. Families of 1 to 4 people will receive a free 8×10; families of 5 to 10 people will receive a free 10×14 and families of 11 or more people will receive a free 14×20. Kim Jew Photography of Albuquerque, NM has pledged to contribute its $29.95 session fee of each October family portrait session to PPA Charities, which has chosen Operation Smile as its charitable partner. According to Pasadena, California photographer Michael Taylor, past Chairman of the Board of Professional Photographers of America (PPA), “October is an ideal time for families to have their portraits created, because the holiday season is just around the corner. Few gifts are appreciated as much a portraits of family members. And when families participate in Family Portrait Month, they are making it possible to truly change the lives of children who would otherwise face a lifetime of pain and rejection.”
Founded in 1982, Operation Smile is a worldwide children’s medical charity dedicated to helping children and young adults born with facial deformities. In as little as 45 minutes, one cleft lip surgery can change a child’s life forever. Each year, more than 100,000 children are born with a facial deformity in Operation Smile’s 26 partner countries. Tens of thousands remain untreated.
“Recording the faces of children and their families is what photographers do,” says Richmond, Virginia, photographer Mary Fisk-Taylor, who serves as president of the PPA Charities Board of Trustees, and who was instrumental in developing the Family Portrait Month promotion. “It’s hard to imagine a more appropriate charity for our members to support. And when parents
participate in Family Portrait Month, it’s a wonderful way to teach children the value of reaching out to others. Even small children can understand the importance of Operation Smile’s work, and they are eager to help these needy children.”
Go to operationsmile.com to see how children benefit from this effort.