Thank you everyone for sending me your nominations for the Family Portrait Giveaway! There were so many amazing stories - I had a really hard time narrowing it down! Such a hard time, that I’ve decided to choose two winners this Holiday season! These two families will receive a complimentary portrait session and a bundle of prints! Here are their incredible stories…
The first family was nominated by Rick + Sheryl:
“When I saw your posting for the Family Portrait Giveaway, I immediately thought of my brother, Will, and his wife Joy… who despite their financial circumstances are truly the richest people I know. Okay, so that’s a cheesy thing to say, but in their case I gotta tell you, it’s true. Will and Joy’s lives have been moving non-stop since they met in 2003. A year later and they were married… a year and a half later and they welcomed their daughter, Ava Mae, into their lives. Ava, who is the most gorgeous baby girl, was born with a club foot, and throughout her first year she endured two surgeries, as well as a series of casts and braces. While I’m convinced that this little girl will become the most strong and confident of women due to the challenges she overcame so quickly in her life, my heart ached for my brother and sister-in-law as they watched their daughter endure the pain of her procedures and treatments. In the midst of this year, they had a surprise… their second child, Ross Stephenson, was on his way! Throughout the pregnancy, they had just one hope, that he would be born healthy! So when he was born this Spring, and they brought home the smiling-est bouncy boy, they couldn’t have been happier. So now, here they are, the perfect family of four… mother and daughter, father and son, and they’re so happy! But they’re also in trouble financially. Joy worked in the mortgage industry, and has been laid off twice in the last year due to her employers going out of business. And Will, who made a great living as a temp UPS driver is currently feeling the stress of a slacking economy, and is now faced with only four hours of work a day as a truck loader. He’s taken up work at local restaurants part-time, but the income not only barely lets ends meet, but cannot possibly repay him for the time he has to spend away from his family. Both Will and Joy were making a great living a year ago. But like so many others, they are facing the reality of raising a family on the income of part time jobs and unemployment. I am thankful for every month they can keep afloat – and pay the mortgage on their Valencia home. These first years of their children’s lives are so precious. I know they try daily to not let the stress of daily life mar the beauty of these priceless moments with their children. But still… I can’t help but think that a portrait session capturing the wonder of this time in their children’s lives would be priceless to them.”
The second family was nominated by Terri Gentry:
“Stephanie, I saw your contest in regards to helping someone who is in need and can’t afford pictures. I have a young lady who I mentor through Toby’s House. This is an organization who helps pregnant homeless women. What a frightening thing to be not only pregnant but to be homeless and pregnant in Orange County. I met this woman a few years ago when she was pregnant with her now 1 yr old daughter. She was living with her daughter’s father who was bipolar and would come home at night and scream and yell then as she was holding a pillow over her stomach he would continue punching her there. One day in the middle of the coldest time of year she up and left. We found her living in her car. She came to Toby’s house and that is where I met her. To this day I have watched her come to believe in God and know that there are people who care. She has a new baby daughter and finally has been able to move out on her own. I would love to be able to give her the opportunity to have some beautiful pictures taken of her and her little girl. This would truly be a gift of Christmas for her. Let me know if this would be something that would work in your searching for the right gift. She could of very easily chosen a different path that wouldn’t have taken as much effort and for some reason I picked her out of many.”
