TOGETHER APART: AN INITIATIVE OF SHARED HOPE
Deb launched TOGETHER APART in Williamsburg late-March 2020 when photographers had started making family portraits on porches in various cities throughout the United States. Deb loved the idea of doing complimentary family portraits in her community during this difficult time but her vision went further. Her wish with this project is to not only bring a little joy, light, and love to families during this time that is so full of worry, grief, and sadness, but she also desires to offer hope to her community in the form of words and fundraise for local charities that are so greatly in need right now.
TOGETHER APART is three-fold:
1. A one-minute family session takes place while maintaining social distancing and one or two high-resolution files digitally delivered the following week.
2. Thoughts of hope, encouragement, love, kindness, or support are shared with Deb.
3. A donation is made by each family to one of these local charities: The Avalon Center or Grove Christian Outreach Center.
TO INQUIRE ABOUT RESERVING A COMPLIMENTARY FAMILY PORTRAIT, please complete the contact form HERE.
Click on image below to enlarge and hover over image to see the words of hope that that family had to share.
I know there has been concern expressed by some about safety in doing these portraits so I am going to very briefly touch on that here. Let me start by saying that I am a nurse and I have photographed nurses, doctors, EMTs, and firefighters who are currently battling on the front line. While photographing the families, I use a zoom lens and keep my distance, well over the required social-distancing six feet. I am with each family for one-to-two minutes maximum and I don’t touch anything while I am there. In my state, we are allowed to get fresh air, walk our dogs, exercise, fish, golf, etcetera. There has been so much joy and love expressed in the making of these portraits and I believe in my heart that I am doing the right thing and not putting myself or anyone else at risk. These family portraits have offered a sense of coming together while continuing to be apart, while also fundraising for local charities in need.
Some recent love shared by families after their one-minute portrait session:
“Thank you so very much for bringing joy, organization, and families together during this crazy time. With so much uncertainty in the world right now, it is so precious to see someone giving so much to others through their art and concern for others. Keep up your incredible work. You are making a difference in so many lives.”
“Thank you for bringing such joy into our neighborhood we had so much fun, getting ready , organizing and anticipating the drive by! Also, thank you for encouraging the donations.”
“Thanks Deb! The pictures are wonderful. It was nice seeing all of the different families with smiles on their faces in the midst of it all. “
“Thanks Deb! The pictures are wonderful. It was nice seeing all of the different families with smiles on their faces in the midst of it all.”
“Deb you are a God-send. So many laughs tonight. Thank you!”
In closing, I share some beautifully written thoughts of hope from the Dean Family:
A photograph. A moment. A memory. These are a trinity of promises for memories yet to come. The sun that set to diffuse golden light across a landscape will rise tomorrow. We will gather again as friends. We will travel to enrich our eyes, engage other cultures, and gain our experience. And when we look back, we will be surprised by joy brought to us in small gestures by friends and neighbors through these dark days, like a candle lit in a storm.
One does not harvest Sunday from seeds planted Saturday. One must water and weed and wait. What we do today is not an end but a beginning. Children close by. Being home to create a home. Giving to others who need more than we. Our effort today will ensure a better world tomorrow. In the seasons to come, we will see the growth that we planted and nurtured: family, friendships, faith, hope, love.
Thank you, Deb Schwedhelm, for bringing us together, despite our separation. Thank you for reminding us to think of others. Thank you for uniting us as a society, as friends, as a family, and creating a keepsake for us to cherish always. A photograph. A moment. A memory.