Soul Connections
Transcription
Soul Connections
Soul Connections 10th Anniversary Edition Table of Contents Our Mission Soulumination celebrates the lives of children and parents facing life-threatening conditions by providing professional photographs of these special individuals and their families, free of charge. The life-affirming photographs of Soulumination are an enduring, positive record of the child’s life, and provide a loving legacy for the children of parents lost to terminal illness. “A Letter from Our Founder” by Lynette Johnson “No Words” by Becky Benson, Angel Baby Session Recipient Soulumination at National Tay-Sachs & Allied Diseases Association Family Conference “Happy Memories” by Kate Sortun, Adult Legacy Session Recipient “Why am I a Soulumination Photographer” by Pierre Folrev Meet Our Photographers Soulumination at Camp Agape NW Volunteer Opportunities Volunteers and Donors Click to Donate A letter from our founder As we move toward Soulumination’s tenth anniversary and the celebration of this work, we think of the precious lives, the memories captured, and the intensity of many situations we are called into. To be allowed to capture the lives of such beautiful, brave and loving families is truly an amazing honor and we will move forward in reverence, with kindness and humility. Recently, I took the time to really reflect on the memories of my dear sweet grandparents. My maternal grandparents were a big part of my childhood. We lived on a farm with ninety acres to roam with my grandparents just a short distance on Sequim Bay; a magical place for children. It struck me that I have beautiful memories of time spent with these good people. There was more love and gentleness than I can describe. The richness of life around them was truly a gift. Good food, lots of freedom to explore, a wealth of projects if one wanted to create, and board games that my grandma taught us at a very young age. Money was in short supply, but love was in abundance. It occurred to me recently that I don’t have a single memory of my grandparents that is tied to a gift or any material thing. I am sure they must have given us birthday and Christmas presents but it was their presence and how they cared for us that abides. One thing I do have is a photo of my grandma holding our firstborn, which is priceless. Your support of Soulumination allows others to have the same type of priceless legacy and for that I am endlessly grateful. I hope to live out my life being kind and caring, and giving in as many ways as my grandparents mentored through their actions. I hope to continue to lead by insisting that our families here at Soulumination always come first. The volunteers of Soul give with open hearts and their endless stream of goodness may well have sparked the memories of my childhood. This year, we’re serving so many more families than in years past and each day, the work is completed with all the caring hands that come into our sphere. Our office is lead by Susan, a very talented photographer. Having her in the office means we have coverage for requests when no other Soul photographer is available. For this, her leadership, and for so many other reasons, I am grateful for Susan. Llewelyn has rejoined our staff and without her, Sue and I realize this eventful year would not have been possible. We’ll soon welcome Heather, our current board president, into our office as an employee. Randell, our long-time volunteer photographer, will graciously step in as Soulumination’s Board president. Our Board is stronger than ever and we are headed into truly productive years. Living with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma has taught me many things. For now, I am thankful to be on a “watch and wait” program, which will hopefully last for many more months. It has been a true blessing to set treatment aside for now and to really enjoy some peaceful moments. It is with love and sympathy that I share the names of those we lost this year. As I type each name, I hold them in my heart. We have recorded their beauty and we celebrate the lives of Addison, Ahmie, Aimee, Alex, Amiracle, Analia, Annabelle, Anthony, Aria, Arian, Arya, Aubreyanna, Ava, Charlie, Chris, Colby, Dakota, David, Dylan, Elizabeth, Emaleya, Erik, Emily Mae, Emma, Ethan, Erik, Evelyn, Finnley, Freya, Greyson, Henry, Howie, Isaac, Jackson, Jefeth, James, Jameson, Jamison, Janet, Jeffrey, Jessica, Jessie, Joe, Jonathan, Julia, Junior, Kadence, Kamea, Karlee, Kate, Kellen, Kimoni, Knox, Krystie, Kyron, Luella, Madeleine, Madisyn, Matthew, Michael, Mikhail, Olivia, Nicholas, Paola, Paul, Paxton, Piper, Quincy, Roy, Sage, Samuel, Sergio, Sturley Jr., Tahlia, Victoria, Wyatt, and Zayden. In love and peace, Lynette Founder of Soulumination In 2014, 66% of our revenue came from individual donors. No Words by Becky Benson NTSAD Annual Family Conference Leading the Fight to treat and cure Tay-Sachs, Canavan, Sandhoff, GM1 and related diseases. Our photographers offer sessions to all families with affected children attending the annual conference. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but there are some that are worth so, so much more, and in fact, they are worth so much that there are no words for them at all. These are my Soulumination photographs of my late daughter, Miss Elliott. They choke me up and steal my breath every time I look at them, even now, years later. My family and I have had several shoots with Lynette, and Soul over the years, and our pictures have changed over time, just like our story has. During our first shoot, in 2009, Miss Elliott was still able to hold up her head, and make facial expressions, something that her terminal genetic illness, Tay-Sachs disease would soon rob her of. By 2010 her precious head was snuggled into the crook of my arm. In 2011 we delicately surrounded her with kisses, and in 2012 we sat holding her picture in our arms instead of her. “They choke me up and steal my breath every time I look at them, even now, years I realize as our older daughter grows, and through the social media bombardment of witnessing the lives of friends and loved ones, watching their children change year after year, that I only have a precious few photographs of my Miss Elliott, and they are all the ones I will ever have. She will remain in memory forever as she was in life; a perfectly beautiful pure soul. I caress the wrinkles around her eyes as she cries with a scrunched face in a photo from 2009. I marvel at both the immense joy and incredible pain I see in my own eyes in another from 2010. I realize these photos tell our story. We’re not staged, posed, smiling for the camera. No, we’re hurting, loving, living. These are real examples of our lives in the midst of caring for our dying daughter, and in surviving the aftermath of her death. These are a photo documentary of our lives. A compilation of love and sorrow in chronological snapshots. later.” These photos are some of the strongest connections to her I have. They are undoubtedly amongst my most prized possessions. They restore my memories, and carry me though my tears. They bring her back to me over and over. They honor her life and dignify her being. They show that no matter how small, no matter how short a life she had, it was one that mattered. To date Soulumination has provided over 1,700 photography sessions. Happy Memories by Kate Sortun When I was in the fourth grade my father was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. For much of my life up until then he would get very sick, but when he was healthy he was a model of strength, compassion, hard work, energy, silliness, and was an amazing father to me and my half siblings. Shortly after his diagnosis Lynette honored our family with a photography session. And just in time before my father would lose his thick and wavy hair to the side effects of his chemotherapy. She joined us at our house, in our yard, and at the local bridge (which was poignant as my dad fought hard in his younger years to make it a pedestrian only bridge.) Lynette had such a warm, friendly, and spunky aura that we all felt comfortable to be ourselves in the photos. For the next several years I grew up with various photos from this shoot hung up in the house, although at the time I didn’t take much notice of them as I still had my father in my life. In 2014, Soulumination provided 197 photography sessions: 38 sessions through our Adult Legacy Program and 158 sessions through our Angel Babies Program. My father made it five years past a stem cell transplant without recurrence of his CLL. However, after a trip to Norway with my grandfather and me, he fell ill again. This time he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The next round of treatment left my father with pulmonary fibrosis, a disease that injured his lungs, leaving him on oxygen therapy. Once again Lynette graciously came to our house for another round of photos. And once again we were immediately comfortable in her presence as she made us all smile and laugh, capturing my father’s wonderful smile and dimples (that I feel lucky to have inherited.) At the time of his first diagnosis he made it his goal to see his youngest daughter, me, graduate from high school. He fought long and hard, living one month past my high school graduation. That was 11 years ago. Since then I have frequently seen these pictures up in my mother’s house, on my fridge, or on my bookshelf. Each time I see one of these photos a little part of me is sad for the loss of my father, but then I look at his smile and remember all the happy memories. The way he would make little jokes, the years we spent sailing in the San Juan Islands, the jellybeans he would share with me on the way to school, and so many more. I am eternally grateful to Lynette for her generosity and these wonderful photos she has provided for my mother, my siblings, and me. The photos captured the essence of his being, his soul, and its continued presence in my life is a gift. “The photos captured the essence of his being his soul, and it’s continued presence in my life is a gift.” Meet Our Photographers Why am I a Soulumination photographer? by Pierre Folrev As a photographer, I have to start with a picture. I believe in the power images can have on our mind. This is a picture, but not just a kid’s picture. Not for my parents, not for my brothers, and not for me. This exact picture had been in my parents’ bedroom for the last 50 years, and still is. Olivier left this world when he was 3 years old, just 5 days before I came in. I never had a chance to meet him. But for all reasons you may guess, he has influenced my life as a child, and as an adult. I know it now, but with that unique picture in a “no-go” zone (aka my parents’ bedroom,) I had a hard time as a child to identify Olivier as being a real brother: I remember, I was maybe 6 or 7, when my Mom was asked how many children she had, she answered, “Five boys.” Surprised, I recounted on my fingers, and then said proudly, “No Mommy, we are four!” I got an unusually cold and sad response from my Mom that I “must have forgotten someone” and I saw her fall in tears. I did not understand then. When I heard about Soulumination and the wonderful work Lynette, Susan and everyone else is doing there, it just connected with my own story, and I knew I wanted to bring my contribution to that story with my skills, to help other families, other older and younger siblings… Photographing for Soulumination is an honor. It can be fun, it can be nice, it can be easy, but it can be heartbreaking, hard and frankly, even upsetting. However, every time, I feel privileged for witnessing and recording a special, intense, difficult, critical moment in people’s life. I also realize that every session makes me feel more connected to my parents, to my own family, and ultimately to myself. “There is one thing the photograph must contain, the humanity of the moment.” -Robert Frank Amanda Paredes Amber Metcalfe Anna Lee Ann Norton Bryan Kopp Bryce Covey Carolyn Coffee Charlie Ainslie Chloe Gilstrap Corinne McNeely Danielle Barnum Dawn Lucrisia Diane Ahern Emily Greer Erin Schedler Erin Schlueter Heather Baker Heidi Leonard Jennifer Bugbee Jennifer Richard Jennifer Sandmeyer Jenny Wohrle Jodi Rosen Julie Templin Karen Carter-Schwendler Kari Gray Katie Simmons Katy Tuttle Kelly Bowie Kelly Chandler Kim Meacle Kim Preston Kurt Smith Leo Lam Libby Lewis Linda Brent Lisa Dunham Lisa Hepfer Locke Bradley Luc Schoonjans Lynette Johnson Lynette Smith Meg Stacker Mercia Moseley Michael Good Michelle Enebo Natalia Dotto Pierre Folrev Rachel Smith Randell Walton Rebecca Roper Renee Bergeron Robert Hood Sarah Landa Sheila Ryan Stacy Gendreau Stephanie Cristalli Steve Bimson Susan Doupé Tonhya Wysong Tonya Todd Wenmei Hill In 2014, our professional photographers volunteered over $88,000 in services. Illuminate Soul 2005 10 2015 years 10 week campaign to $100,000 launches December 7th Camp Agape Camp Agape NW provides an all-expense-paid weeklong overnight camp forthe whole family of a child with cancer. Camp Agape NW gives children with cancer a chance to feel normal, siblings a chance to feel special, and parents a time to be together. Our photographers offer sessions to all Camp Agape families. During the first 6 months of 2015, Soulumination provided 123 photography sessions. This is a 136% increase compared to the same timeframe in 2014. When every expense from 2014 is counted, it cost Soulumination an average of $700 to provide each of the 197 sessions. Buy your one-of-a-kind holiday wreath at our 10th annual artists’ sale! 100% of wreath proceeds benefit Soulumination! Mark your calendars for our wreath-making party on November 29th-December 2nd. Contact Llewelyn for more information and to sign up! [email protected] A heartfelt thank you! OFFICE VOLUNTEERS Diane Ahern Heather Baker Janet Brinkman Emily Broadbent Claire Brunner Faith Cooley Xamantha Curameng Arielle Disouze Annie Gentino Darcy Hartz Robin Hayes Gillian Hayes Brandy Ivy Madhuri Jannumahanthi Lynette Johnson Ben Kaplan Megan Lapham Holy Names Sarah Ortiz Megan Papham Julie Pursell Samantha Queuedo Kari Schlechten Gina Short Sidni Sobolik Susan Sullivan Emilie Szeto Hannah Wang KPMG Day of Caring UW Women in Business MICROSOFT VOLUNTEERS Diane Saltkill Alicia Pelton Robin Moeur ALBUM MAKERS Heather Baker Janet Brinkman Mysti Coccia-Eddy Faith Cooley Xamantha Curameng Jennings Doyle Sally Elliott Monica Gardenier Annie Gentino and Mom Suzanne Gwynn Darcy Hartz Paige Heeselgesser Lauren Howell Pat Johnston Cathy Lennebacker Larisa Lumba Valerie MacDonald Katya Marritz Briana Miles Colleen Monette Nancy Ng Stephanie Peters Joan Reijnen Mary Roddy Jodi Rosen Marci Servizi Gina Short Patsy Simpson Sidni Sobolik Ashley Spivey Madelaine & Christopher Stoer Susan Sullivan Haiyen Tang Monica Tran Katelin Villamil ARTISTS' SALE VOLUNTEERS Marci Clevenger Mysti Coccia-Eddy Dan Coleman Elizabet Crouch Analise David Susan Dunn Sally Elliott Pat Fallon Andrea Fuentes Anne Gillingham Jack Gillingham Jim Gillingham Katy Gillingham Karen Gimse Kristin House Rose Ibarra Anna Landa Julia Landa Sarah Landa Cathy Lennebacker Mark Mason Nancy Ng Robynne Parkinson Joan Reijnen Jodi Rosen Diane Saltkill Lori Sawyer Jane Shea Ashley Spivey Susan Sullivan Paul & Angie Sutphen Victoria Tanaka Amber Wong Lily West GREENS PROVIDERS Colleen Monette Steve DeRoux Hunter Farms Norcliffe Garden Dunn Gardens Enebo Gardens Jodie Harper Davis Pat & Jim Johnston Susan Maki Nancy Ng Claire Phillips Kurt Smith Lisa van Dam Treecycle WREATH MAKERS Denise Andersen Leslie Brazeau Kari Brotherton Carol Brown Robin Brownstein Lauren Brumbaugh & Family Molly Bullard & Alison Mysti Coccia-Eddy Analisa David Julene Davidson Donna Diedrich Natalia Dotto Sally Elliott Ken Foster Andrea Fuentes Katie Gillingham Anne Gillingham Pam Gray Darcy Hartz Nanette Hayre & Quinton Joan Hibbs Wenmei Hill Megan Hooks Nancy Huber Summer Jawson Joan Kostal Cathy Lennebacker Diane Loofburrow Barb Lyle Susan Maki Faith Mantzke Dylan McDonald Robin Moeur Collette Monette Colleen Monette Nancy Ng Susan O'Leary Sarah Ortiz & mom Stephanie Punt Mary Rae Bruns Joan Reijnen Jodi Rosen Diane Saltkill Lorelle Shearer Virgie Sheldon Chris Shuman Jennifer Slack Mary Smith Ashley Spivey Susan Sullivan Lisa Van Dam Hege Watkins Monetary & In-Kind Individual Donors Adams, Jenny Agoado, Jay Allen-Martin, Teresa Amasaki, Stacy Angel, Claire Agura, Anne & Edward Anonymous Baker, Chris Baker, Colin Baker, Heather and Brian Baker, Julie Basic, Pauline Battaglia, Colleen Beckett, Bethany Bedwell, Elizabeth Behar, Christina Bellotti, Vickie & Joseph Bihn, Julie & Kenneth Bishop Fleet Foundation Blaha, Joy Bontrager, Marilyn Boyes, Teresa Bracht, Julie & Matthew Brannan, Catherine Brender, Amanda Brennan, Kathleen Brennan, Sally Bridge, Jonathan and Bobbe Brotherton, Kari Brunner, Phyllis Bunch, Connie Hill Burke, Kimberly Campbell, Linda Cargal, Jennifer Carlson, Heidi Caron, Jane Carrington, Eliza Causbie, Jean Cavan, O’Keefe Chapman, Christine Chen, carol Cheney, Pam Chew, Carl Chouinard, Richard and Mikleane Clark, Gretchen Clark, Lauren and Hugh Clark, Linda Jean and Timothy Stearns Cloud, Cindy Coccia-Eddy, Mysti Coccia, Jim Cockburn, Amy & Matthew Coe, Ron Cornett, Sean and Brenda Curtis, Rebecca Danieli, Ann Daubenberger, James and Donna Daugherty, Kaaren Davidson, Paneen Davis, Catherine and Philip Dellinger, Cynthia Douglas, Katherine Doupe, Susan Dufka, Timothy & Marie-Pierre Carlotti Dunn, Patrick & Susan Eagan, Carolyn & Chris Eilenstein, Diane Elton, Sherry Enebo, Michelle Enevoldsen, Julie Ettel, Sherry Falkenreck, Janet & James Fallon, Jennifer Filli, Reto and Jana Fiorito, Barbara Forrest, Kristin Foster, Angel Monetary & In-Kind Individual Donors (continued) Gaba, Kersten & David Gaffney, Kelly Garcia, Joseph Geist, Randy & Jan Gentino, Pat Glew, Gwen Gold, Sophie-Shifra Goldsmith, Catherine Gompf, Jean Gordon, Cheryl Gordon, Monica Gordon, Rachel Gradinger, Lori Green, Kelly Hall, Anne Halstead, Debbie Hamill, Kelly Hanafin, Kay Hartz, Darcy Hatfield, Shannon Healey, Rosalba & Andrew Hess, Kim Heymann, Peter Higgins, Frank and Leslie Magid Higgins, Michael Hill, Patricia Hill, Wen Mei Hines, Amy Hines, Gail L. 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Strong, Kathryn & Robert Sullivan, Susan Sutphen, Olga & Chester Sutphen, Paul Swezey, Erin Tangney, Jody & Jeffrey Taylor, Julie Teresa De Jesus Solis-Ruiz Todd, Tonya Turcotte, Jackie Tytus, Alexandria Umbelino, Lisa van Dam, Lisa Vanderzanden, Jessica Viskovich, Stephanie Vongrej, Clifford Wade, Kato Wagner, Brenda and Douglas Wahl, Tanya & Gordon Walker, Judith Watson, Andrea Watson, Bill & Janet Weil, Alexis and Brad Laesch Whitley, Claire Wilhoite, Tammy Wilkinson, Jennifer Wilson, Annie Winslow, Kaye Wright, Carla Wyckoff, Susan Yearian, Patricia & John York, Linda Rae & James Zucker, Kelly Corporate Donors Abell Smith Design Adobe American Express Charitable Fund American Express Foundation Amazon Anima Mundi Ballard High School Ballard Market Ballard Pediatric Clinic Combined Fund Drive Douglas Johnson and Company FirstGiving G&H Printing Glassybaby White Light Fund goodshop Hawkanson Foundation Keep posted Inc KPMG Leafzine Lynette Johnson Photographer Max J. Kuney Company Microsoft Matching Gifts Program Milgard Manufacturing, Inc Mycopigments Norman Raab Foundation Outcast & Company Patterson Cellars Patxi’s Pizza Profit Solutions Group Raikes Family Foundation Sand Point Community Church Schwab Charitable Fund Seattle Children’s Seattle Foundation Silicon Valley Community Foundation Sip n Ship St. Demetrios Philoptochos Stoup Brewing Teens in Public Service Truist United Way of King County US Bank Foundation Wakerobin LLC Women For One 2014 Financials Revenue: $164,930 Expenses: $135,245 STAFF Lynette JohnsonFounder Susan DoupéDirector Llwelyn Johnson Manager of Community Engagement Heather Baker Assistant Artists’ Sale Coordinator Beth NeilsBookkeeping BOARD Randell WaltonPresident Jodi RosenVice President Katelin VillamilSecretary Paul SutphenTreasurer Monica GardenierMember Darcy Hartz Member Wenmei HillMember Diane Loofburrow Member Dawn LucrisiaMember Gina ShortMember Fred MoodyEmeritus Board Advisor Lori SawyerEmeritus Board Advisor Mark Hamby Emeritus Board Advisor Kelly McNelis Emeritus Board Advisor Click to Donate