Hurricane Harvey Relief – Family Sessions 2017

“Be the change that you wish to see in the world” – Mahatma Gandhi.

This past September, I ran a promotion with a goal to raise $500 to give back to those who were affected by Hurricane Harvey. I know it’s a drop in a bucket compared to the losses many families have endured these past months, but I figured it’s a start. Many big thanks to those who signed up for these sessions so I could fulfill my goal. I hope they enjoyed their photos as much as I enjoyed taking them.

At the time that I was running this promotion, JJ Watt of the Houston Texans raised more than $37 millions for the city of Houston, so I decided to donate to charities outside of Houston. Here are the charities:

$100 to “HHSC Cares” via YouCaring.com – the new agency (Health and Human Services) I’m working under (yes, I do have a full-time career). I figured it was best to support some of our own who were affected by this hurricane.
$100 to “DFPS Cares” via YouCaring.com – my former agency (Department of Family and Protective Services) prior to the legislative mandated transfer.
$50 to the Southeast Texas Food Bank in Beaumont.
$50 to the Central Texas Food Bank in Austin.
$200 to Linda’s Lighthouse – According to its website, Linda’s Lighthouse is “a non-profit organization that is focused on uplifting & providing opportunities for youth and elders in the Port Arthur community.” I have a friend who said that their members were on the ground passing out the necessities since the hurricane hit, and continuing the cleanup effort since. I also corresponded with the organization a little bit, which I found admirable because the members themselves had to deal with their own struggle while helping out others.
$200 matched by Build A Sign/ Easy Canvas Prints to Linda’s Lighthouse – Build A Sign (its sister company being Easy Canvas Print) is a local printing company that is also very involved in giving back to the community. I have photographed their events over the years and have met some of the nicest folks there, and have ordered all of my canvases there with no issue at all. A big thanks to Margaret for coordinating the matching donation.