Portraits of Children in Foster Care
Photographing kids in foster care in the United States and presenting to each a photograph framed and mounted. This would serve both to raise awareness about kids in foster care in the United States and to build their self esteem.
I adore children. I also love taking pictures of them. I have taken many pictures of children with diabetes over the years at Children With Diabetes conferences. The children always enjoy having their photopgraph taken and then showing it people. I would like to do the same thing with children in foster care throughout the country.
There are about 500,000 (half a million!) children in foster care in the United States. Approximately 150,000 are available for adoption. These are children. They are in foster care through no fault of their own. They live in cities and in rural areas. Many will not ever have a professional portrait taken of them and, while I am not a professional, I believe I have developed a talent for photographing children.
My inspiration for this idea comes from having represented children in foster care in court hearings as a law student at Columbia University and from having adopted an infant from foster care this past year. While I have many pictures of my daughter from her wonderful foster mother, I wonder how many foster children have good photographs of themselves. I would like each of them to have a flattering photograph to carry with them throughout their life. I believe that, while it is a small thing, it would help build their self esteem to own a photographic portrait and just to know that someone cared enough to visit and photograph them.
I was required to become a certified foster parent in order to adopt my child. I also have contacts at YouthCommunications.com, which publishes a magazine by and for children in foster care. I believe that with these contacts, I would be able to identify and photograph children easily. I propose to travel around the country taking and presenting photographs of children in foster care. The award money would go for my travel expenses and the expenses to print and mount or frame pictures to give out to children.
22 Comments
I think you should take this one down because it is just diverting votes from the diabetes topic. A vote for this topic is a lost vote for the diabetes topic
Have you seen any of the Heart Galleries? It is photos of chilren waiting for adotpion.
Totally pic'd this idea, its another amazing idea from a amazing person. ;]
Make sure you take a picture of my Katie!
Rebecca
I like your idea!
I voted for you; will you vote for me? Let's do this and see how it turns out. Let's help each other!
Good luck!
I see that you can cut and paste. Since you posted the same email in many photographer's comment section. Except that in the section for the people ahead of you, you ask them to vote for you first and did not claim to have already voted in return.
Thanks but no thanks.
I have voted for this idea...hope you can vote for mine.
Hi, I voted for you because I think foster care is the "invisible orphanage" in the US. We are all aware of the orphanages overseas but few are aware of how many children.
dd
hey guys! this is great return of the corn mothers is inspiring as well, would any of you mind picking it?
http://www.nameyourdreamassignment.com/the-ideas/lightpainter69/return-of-the-corn-mothers/
http://www.nameyourdreamassignment.com/the-ideas/lightpainter69/return-of-the-corn-mothers/
Hey - Fantastic idea!
You've got my vote ... Will you check mine out and give me a vote? Hang in there!
Keep shooting ... D
Amazonian asks for your vote while insulting your other idea.
I think both your ideas are worthy! I voted the Insulin idea my first day in here. Good luck to you!
May all your dreams come true! :^)
I love this idea! check out mine and Pic it if youd like! Congo here I come...
Fantastic Michelle! If you get a chance to take a peek at mine I would appreciate it!
You go girl!
I work for an adoption foster care agency and see the pictures and hear the stories daily. Bless you for wanting to do this work. I had already used my vote for the "faith" entry but I really do hope you get the money here or somewhere else. Blessings.
With $50k, you could probably expand out and do foster care stories in other parts of the world as well. Just a thought. I'm voting for you. Feel free to return the favor and vote for my project to document issues in Zimbabwe.
You have my vote, If you get the chance, check out my dream "From Australia With Love" and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE vote for it!
Thanks.
-Adam
Another good idea! I love children. I vote for any idea for the betterment of children. Good Luck Michelle! :)
really great idea. I hope that if your insulin project wins (also a great idea) that you decide to do this at some point in the future. GREAT IDEAS!! I would fund you myself if I could. Good Luck!
Michelle, I'm certainly voting for you! I found you by Googling diabetes & foster child...looking to adopt a cauc. girl w/ diabetes. I'm type 1. [email protected]. Can you help? Thanks! E. Aylor
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MichelleMore ideas from this user
Good luck Michelle!
Dan