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A few years ago, Linda Solomon, the famous celebrity photographer and photojournalist, (and let me just say that Linda is an amazing woman, and hands down one of the nicest and most genuine people I have ever met) came to General Motors with an idea for a program to benefit homeless children around the country. The program evolved from a two-city tour in 2006 to a ten-city tour in 2007. General Motors formed a partnership with Linda and sponsor what is now called “Pictures of Hope.”
This is how “Pictures of Hope” works: We visit one Salvation Army site (most often a women’s and children’s shelter) in each participating city to teach 10-20 kids about photography. Linda shows the youngsters a slide show of pictures she has taken (pictures of Will Smith and J-Lo always receive excited gasps from the children). At the same time she points out the “do’s and don’ts” of each photo, and quizzes the kids on the various camera techniques being used in the photos. After the slide show, the students are asked to make a list of what they hope for most in life.
After the workshop, the kids are given disposable cameras to take pictures of the things on their lists. A few days later, they turn in their cameras, and the best picture from each child’s camera will be made into greeting cards to be sold around the holiday season. (This is when GM comes back again and plays Santa to deliver some other surprise goodies to the kids). One hundred percent of the proceeds goes back to the shelter to benefit the children. How neat is that? Now to the good stuff.
While in Memphis, I got up to sit next to a very shy nine-year-old boy who hadn’t written anything down yet. He didn’t seem to want to talk about his list, so I told him just to let me know if he needed any help. A few minutes later, I saw him begin to write, so I peeked at his paper out of the corner of my eye. What he wrote made my heart sink: “I hope for a better family.”
Wow, I thought, at the age of nine, I would have been hoping for a puppy or something.
A few minutes later, he cautiously wrote, “I hope to see my father one day.”
By that time, I was feeling thoroughly spoiled, not to mention shocked, and some of the other children had gone up to read their lists in front of the group. A young boy standing at the front of the room read his list of hopes out loud and first hoped “to become a physicist.” Very impressive, I thought.
His next hope: “I hope for my dad to get out of jail.”
It’s moments like those, when you put things into perspective and realize just how blessed you really are. At that point, I remembered Linda Solomon telling me of a girl who had once written, “I hope for a better world. I hope for my mom to stop crying.” Why is it that these young children are able to be so unselfish while those of us who already have everything never seem to be satisfied?
The youngest girl at the workshop in Dallas drew a picture that she wanted to photograph. It was a picture of a beer bottle and a joint with a big X through it to signify: “I hope for people to stop doing drugs.”
It made me sad to think that she had been exposed to so much at such a young age, and that she knew enough about drugs to wish them away.
There is a bright side, however. Since “Pictures of Hope” has been prominently featured in various media outlets, like People magazine, a lot of the children have received unique opportunities. One of the stories Linda told me was about a 16-year-old girl who took a picture of a diploma to represent her hope “to go to college.” The dean of the university from the college on that diploma saw the photograph, and offered the girl a scholarship she can use after she graduates from high school.
After being involved in a program like this, I felt a strange mix of emotions. I was sad because I wanted these children to have better things in life. But at the same time, I was glad because I know we made a difference to them.
All the kids I met were so genuine. On my first visit, I was surprised that these children weren’t asking for things like video games, i-pods, etc. Instead, I heard them hope “to go to college”, “for peace in the world,” and “for people like me to get help like I did.” They don’t hope for the things you would expect from average youngsters. That’s the reason that I feel this program is so unique, and that is why I love it.
Copyright 2007 Taylor Huber All Rights Reserved
About the author:
Taylor Huber is currently under the employment of General Motors Corporation as a summer intern in Diversity Communications.
Taylor grew up in both Illinois and Michigan, and currently resides in Metropolitan Detroit. She will start her Junior year this fall at Gonzaga University where she is pursuing a degree in Public Relations and a minor in Music Performance.
An avid violinist, Taylor plays in the Gonzaga University Chamber Orchestra and the Gonzaga Symphony Orchestra. She plans to spend her spring 2008 semester studying abroad in Florence, Italy.
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