By Joel Smart (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: November 30, 2011
For UFV student Laura Henderson, Help-Portrait Abbotsford is a fun way to make a difference. For many financially-struggling families, the idea of getting a Christmas portrait done is just not possible, but Henderson and her friend Tamara Okoti aim to change that with their second annual event on December 10.
“We’re going to try and photograph 500 or 600 people in the community in one day,” Henderson said. This year’s Help-Portrait will be from 8-11 a.m. at Bakerview Church at 2285 Clearbrook Road. Despite the location, she clarified, the event is not religiously affiliated.
A picture can touch someone’s life in a way many wouldn’t expect. “It’s one of those things that a lot of people take for granted,” Henderson said. “It’s like, ‘Yeah, of course there is a picture of me and my family.’ But we had so many people last year who were like, ‘This is the first photo of me with my three-year-old,’ or, ‘This is the first photo of me and my husband.’” The incredible feedback last year encouraged them to make the event even bigger this year. “There were a lot of people who like, ‘This has been the worst year of my life, and this is just so cool, and I feel so pretty and so happy,’” said Henderson.
Because of the growing scope of the event, there is also a growing need for volunteers. “It would be cool to get as many people out as possible – volunteers and clients,” she said. The event isn’t just for photographers to take part in, but also photographer’s assistants, photo editors who can work with Photoshop, hairdressers, makeup artists, anyone who wants to film or live-blog the event, or even those who just talk to those who come out. One group might even come in to help with wardrobe. “Some of these people had never had their makeup or hair done by a professional,” she said. “It might not seem like a big thing, but… some people… were really excited to get [that] done, and have that picture to show people.”
This will be the second time the event will be held in Abbotsford, but this year has included a lot more planning. “Me and my girlfriend found out about it online last year a few weeks beforehand, and we’re like ‘this is so cool, let’s do it.’ So with no sleep and without any support we did a really quick version last year and it was really, really cool and we got 270 people photographed.” What really touched Henderson were the reactions of people who had never had portraits done before. “Moms were crying because this was the first time they had a photo of them with all of their children together,” she said. “There was a married couple that had been married that summer, but didn’t have any pictures of them together since their wedding. Them getting this photo – they were so excited!” she said. “It was a really big deal to them to get this picture.”
Henderson realized that it isn’t an easy thing to get people to come out. “It’s a Saturday in December, so we understand we’re asking people to give up a potentially paid day of work,” Henderson said. “We certainly won’t say no to anyone who wants to help out.”
She also wanted to emphasize that students at UFV who are struggling financially are encouraged to come out and have their picture taken. “I know there are people at UFV who would qualify for this. Lots of us have had to take financial hits to do this education,” she said. “For a lot of people going to school and feeding themselves takes up more income than they have.”
“People have kids and are in school full time, and there is no way they’re going to get a family photo for Christmas – so come out and get one,” she said.
Getting financial support in the city of Abbotsford has proven a challenge so far. “It’s surprisingly hard to get community donations of anything in this city… it’s impossible to get a donation from Tim Hortons. Trying to get anyone in this city to even donate some coffee is really, really hard… We’re not a super well-connected community in a lot of ways.” However, one volunteer—an employee for the Telecommunications Workers Union—was able to convince his employers to donate 700 dollars to the cause. The donation enabled the group to purchase some printers, ink and paper – allowing Help-Portrait to print off the pictures on-site. “I’m really excited about that,” she said. Thrifty Foods has also agreed to donate baked goods to those who attend. Nutrilawn is covering the costs of the shirts for volunteers, and Shoppers Drugmart has donated a gift basket to be raffled off, with the proceeds to help with printing costs.
Still, the event could use more support. “One thing we wanted to do try and do, that isn’t going to happen this year, is to have more resources there that people can walk away with,” Henderson said. The group wants to be able to send people home with food, or maybe even some luxury items – things struggling individuals can’t afford to buy for themselves. “How cool would it be to be able to give some of these young, impoverished, expectant mothers a nice gift bag. Here are some bath and beauty products, some nice stuff. It would be great to have more donations and community support,” Henderson said.
She also wished that there was a way to bring families in need from surrounding areas to the event. “We don’t have any transportation or any way to get them,” she said. “It would be awesome if a church or a group or someone with a bus steps up and says ‘yeah, we’re going to do a taxi out to Chilliwack and pick up 40 people and bring them in.’”
Whether you’re interested in being a volunteer or if you’d like to come in and have your portrait done, you’re encouraged to learn more by emailing Henderson or visiting the website. There is also a Facebook group.
