You Can Help

It breaks my heart to write this blog. I hate that I have to write this, knowing that as I write this thousands and thousands of people are in such despair right now.

As the whole world knows, Japan was hit with a 8.9 magnitude earthquake followed by a devastating tsunami on Friday. The destruction is horrific, yet horrific isn't even the word to describe what has happened. In the Miyagi Prefecture alone, over 10,000 people are reported missing. To put this in perspective, my hometown of Waterford, Connecticut has a population of roughly 18,897 people. Take 10,000 of those people, and it leaves us with barely 9,000. That is over 50% of Waterford just gone, missing, and likely never to be seen again. The official death toll was about 1,800 until this morning when a tide brought in 1,000 bodies. It makes me sick to my stomach just thinking about that, for all the lives lost and families destroyed. Not to mention the nuclear power plants that have had two explosions, adding to the terror that is already happening. And this doesn't even begin to describe exactly what the destruction looks like.

I am not the type of person who will just sit there and think, "Gee, this is so terrible, but all we can do is pray for them." I am the type of person who would hop of the first flight to Japan and help out in any way possible if I could. I cannot just sit back and watch this on the news, read the articles, and not do anything to help.

So for the next few months, I am going to make a difference. For every portrait session booked, I will take $15 from the session fee and donate it to the American Red Cross and their Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami fund. For every wedding I book, I will take take $50 from the day's fee and donate it to the American Red Cross and their Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami fund. This includes spring mini sessions, family portraits, senior portraits, engagement sessions, all weddings, trash the dress sessions, maternity sessions, every single session I do.

I am not worried about when this will end, nor do I think it matters, but I will do everything I can to donate money to help Japan. As citizens of this world, it is our responsibility to help when help is needed. It is just what you do. Period.

Please, do what you can do to help Japan. Whether you book a session, donate supplies, help families find their loves ones, or donate to other organizations, do what you can. Even if you text message REDCROSS to 90999 to give $10 for Japan earthquake and Pacific Tsunami, you can make a difference in someone's life.

I am ending this post with hope. I found this photograph on Yahoo! News. It's a silver lining, a photograph that shows in every terrible situation, hope can be found.

"The whole thing, you see, the whole thing, ropes around hope, H-O-P-E."
-The Laramie Project

Hiroko Dobashi holds her newly-born baby girl at a hospital in Kamaishi, Iwate Prefecture, Monday March 14, 2011, three days after northeastern coastal towns were devastated by an earthquake and tsunami. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) JAPAN OUT, MANDATORY CREDIT, NO SALES IN CHINA, HONG KONG, JAPAN, SOUTH KOREA AND FRANCE