If you want to catch the holiday spirit, take a moment to visit Simon’s Circle, by clicking here.

Simon is the 10-year-old son of Honorary PPACH Trustee for Florida Britney Fullgraf. Simon has already raised over $240 by selling notecards and bookmarks of his own images.

You also can keep up with Simon’s fund-raising activities by networking with him on Facebook.

Thank you, Simon, for your support of PPA Charities and Operation Smile . . . but even moreso for being a role model and inspiration to all of us!

As editor of The Connecticut Spotlight, the publication of Connecticut Professional Photographers, PPA Charities Trustee Harvey Goldstein can be counted on for lively editorials. This month, he shared his wisdom (and holiday photograph) on the subject of holiday gift-giving, with a nice shoutout for PPA Charities. It is reprinted here with Santa Goldstein’s permission:

The Chanukah candles have burned out, the latkes (fried potato pancakes) have been enjoyed, the dreidels have stopped spinning and the 8 days of gifts has ended. ARE YA READY FOR SOME CHRISTMAS? We do it all in our house so December is just one long holiday and food-fest. In the Goldstein house, we easily slide from latkes and sufganiyot (soof-gah-nee-YOT), which are jelly doughnuts that are eaten on Chanukah to Christmas ham and anginettes (Italian cookies).

Have you finished your Christmas shopping? Have you started your Christmas shopping?
My suggestion for gift-giving is to honor someone with a donation to a charity in their name. We all have “stuff”. As a matter of fact, we all have too much “stuff”. Why continue to clutter everyone’s home with “stuff”? You can give to the Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, the Diabetes Foundation, St. Jude… and the list goes on. My favorite is PPA Charities (melanie.marathonwp.com). PPA Charities is the philanthropic arm of the Professional Photographers of America. In 2005, PPA Charities named Operation Smile as its charitable partner. A perfect fit for photographers, whose daily business is creating smiles for their clients, Operation Smile’s mission is repairing childhood facial deformities including cleft lips and cleft palates.

At the 2010 PPA Convention, PPA Charities presented a $100,000 check to Operation Smile, surpassing their goal by $30,000. The goal for the 2011 PPA Convention is $120,000, but we need your help. If you purchase a smile ($240) before December 25, your donation will be matched and you will be purchasing two smiles for the price of one. Can you think of a better way for a photographer to spend his/her gift money?

There are many worthwhile charities but only one that combines what you do every day (make children smile) and giving hundreds of children the opportunity to smile. Our mantra is normally, “$240 will change a life”; from now until Christmas, our mantra
is, “$240 will change TWO LIVES.” It will actually change three lives, because it will
certainly change yours as well.

Wishing my fellow MOT a belated Happy Chanukah and to most everyone else, a very
Merry Christmas! Whatever holiday you celebrate, celebrate with zest and gusto, but also
safely. And to all, HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Charitiesingly,
Harv

The holiday season is a time when people are especially willing to reach out and help others in need. It’s a great time to ask your clients to join you in supporting Operation Smile, so here’s an idea from PPACH Trustee Ann Monteith:

Each holiday season we display a tree that is decorated with family photos in miniature frames that have been in our family for many years. This year we decided to use the tree to help us raise funds for Operation Smile. Our friends at Marathon Press created colorful ornament designs that we printed on heavy-weight paper stock and placed on the tree. During our sales sessions we are asking clients if they will donate $5 or more to Operation Smile, letting them know that we will match each of their donations with our own. The sign below explains the promotion and mentions a holiday special that also benefits Operation Smile: Duplicates of any 8×10 or smaller prints are half price, and we will donate that 100% of these purchases to the charity.

Click here to download .jpg files of Ann’s 8×10 sign, which you can edit to add your own special offer

Click here to download the various ornament fronts and back copy, to which you can add your studio logo.

Red Green Purple Gold Blue Back

Earlier this month, PPA Trustee Graham Wilson, whose Visions Photography is located in Littleton, CO, provided the photographic coverage for Operation Smile’s annual International Student Leadership Conference (ISLC) in Denver. Over 400 students from 12 countries attended the event, which is held annually at a different university around the world. Its purpose is to help students develop and strengthen leadership skills and character, receive training on how to help those in developing countries, as well as increase their cultural awareness. Thousands of students in more than 600 schools around the world are involved in Operation Smile’s Student Programs, making a difference in children’s lives worldwide and learning the importance of volunteerism. The International Student Leadership Conference for 2011 is scheduled to be held at the University of Beijing.

One of Graham’s responsibilities at the ISLC was to photograph Jessica Simpson, Operation Smile’s International Youth Ambassador, who mingled with students prior to her opening night presentation. Since 2003, Simpson has helped to spread awareness for children suffering from cleft lip and cleft palate as well as the work of Operation Smile. In 2006, she visited Capitol Hill to speak on behalf of the organization. She has participated on international medical missions to Kenya and India, where she donned scrubs and witnessed the work of the surgical team in the operating room. Recently, Jessica launched a new initiative called A Beautiful Me in collaboration with Operation Smile, to help inspire self-esteem in young people who can then use their confidence and personal strength to change the world.

According to Graham, Jessica proved to be a good sport, mingling with the students and talking to them about her experiences on the mission in Africa. The conference also included addresses by master motivator Dan Clark, of Chicken Soup for the Soul fame, as well as by Dr. Bill Magee and his wife, Kathy, the founders of Operation Smile. According to Graham, “the stories from the speakers were truly inspirational, and they intensified my resolve to help this incredible organization.” Dr. Magee is shown below as he introduces Jessica Simpson for her opening-night presentation.

“It was a real treat to be involved in such an amazing event, with so many incredible people,” said Graham, who met up with two students who took part in the mission to Vietnam that Graham documented last year. “Those girls are both incredible high school kids, and I had a wonderful time visiting with them,” he said.

Graham caught the image at left of Operation Smile founders Bill and Kathy Magee, whom he met for the first time last year during his coverage of the Vietnam mission, which was one of 16 medical missions conducted simultaneously across Vietnam from November 4 through November 16 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Operation Smile’s presence in that country. Graham is shown with his wife Annemarie and Dr. McGee in the photo below. You can view a video that Graham made of his Vietnam mission by clicking here.

On August 3, 2010, Operation Smile proudly announced a significant milestone: the organization has given 150,000 smiles to children and young adults around the world who previously suffered from a debilitating cleft lip or cleft palate. More than 150,000 lives are now changed forever.

Since, 2005, when PPA Charities chose Operation Smile to be its charitable beneficiary, PPA members and vendors have donated more than $250,000 to Operation Smile, meaning that photographers who make their livings by bringing smiles to the faces of their clients, are responsible for helping Operation Smile volunteers save 1,041 of these 150,000 smiles. It takes only $240 to fund the gift of surgery to a child by Operation Smile’s volunteer medical and support staff.

In 2010, Operation Smile trustees hope to save 500 more smiles through PPA member-donations, having set a goal of $120,000, which will eclipse 2009’s record-breaking donation of $100,000.

Please stand together with your fellow PPA members to make possible the miracle of surgery for children such as these beautiful twins whose lives were changed forever because caring individuals gave them the life-changing gift of their smiles. To see more examples of Operation’s Smile’s extraordinary work around the world, view videos by clicking here.