Labelle Photo

A very special THANK YOU to everyone who came out tonight for the Ottawa Senators 65 Roses Gala to help breathe life into the future for young Canadians battling cystic fibrosis!
A memorable evening of inspiration, fine dining and great music provided by the JW Jones Blues Band was had by all.

The event, which was hosted by Max Keeping and 65 Roses celebrity chairman, the Sens forward and right-winger Shean Donovan, raises money for young Canadians battling cystic fibrosis in the Ottawa area. This was a year that also celebrated the foundations 50th anniversary.
On hand were members of the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club, community leaders, sponsors and supporters.
The event was held at the Hampton Inn Conference Centre.

Thank you all!

Because of my involvement with Heather,(1), and the impact it had on me, I recently contacted the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Canada, to volunteer my services as a photographer. Together with the foundation, the Childrens Hospital Of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) and the Ottawa General Hospital, I have had the honour and privilege to provide photographic services to the sweetest and bravest children you will ever meet.

On Monday, February 8th, 2010, The Ottawa Chapter of the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, along the the NHL’s Ottawa Senators, will be holding their annual fundraiser, The Ottawa Senators 65 Roses Gala.

This also marks the 50th anniversary of the Foundation. There has been significant progress in cystic fibrosis research and care since the Foundation was established in 1960. Researchers across Canada are now studying all aspects of cystic fibrosis, including fixing the basic defect and treating the symptoms of the disease. Thanks to tremendous advances in research and treatment, people with cystic fibrosis are living longer and healthier lives.

Please take a moment and think about making a difference in the life of a child afflicted with cystic fibrosis and come on out on and support this very worthy cause.

Proceeds from this event support the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in conducting health research and supporting specialized care for children and young adults battling cystic fibrosis.

Hope to see you there!

Jean

WOW… What a day!

Our day began at 8 A.M setting up the 5 “studios” at the Caldwell Family Centre.
With 7 photographers on hand, we were raring to go when the first participants arrived at 9 A.M.
We had so much fun shooting, talking with and connecting with some of the most awesome people you can imagine.
A couple of folks were telling us they have not had their picture taken in over twenty years!
We had a couple of large families and one with 5 very young children who were a blast. The kids kept screaming at us “One More!, One More!”
There was so much laughter and joy throughout the day.
Our last session was at 5:30 P.M… it was a long day but worth every minute of it.
This is a day that I will remember always and cannot wait until next year.

Special thanks go out to Jeremy Cowart, Kyle Chowning, Annie Downs and the whole Help-Portrait team founders.
I would also like to thank all the Ottawa photographers,  Richard, who did all the leg work for this site, Peter, Christine, Mike, Julian, Graeme, and Jennifer, you guys rock! See you next year.

A few shots of our team:

A post today that is not about photography at all but is inline with our Help-Portrait project.

A few years ago, I discovered an interesting idea whereby I manage a portfolio of micro loans which are spread out around the world by an organization called Kiva. They facilitate interest-free micro loans, using PayPal as a payment platform, (who donate their services, without fees) to match up lenders with borrowers around the world.

I found out about Kiva through David Hobby (Strobist) have been lending to them ever since.

This is Paulino, a businessman in Peru. He is a hard working person and he makes an effort to give his 5 beloved kids the best. He decided to stay in his home land so that he could develop it, and now he carries out his everyday chores with a lot of love and affection as he cultivates the land and feeds his animals. He would now like to extend his cultivated lands and would also like to be able to offer a public transport service to to his beloved community while he keeps working hard on his lands with the loan that he will intelligently invest in buying seeds, fertilizers and animal feed.

I was a funder on his loan, which was for a total of $750.
That’s not a lot of money by western standards, but it makes a huge difference to Paulino. Click on the pic for more info.

In addition to Paulino, my outstanding loan portfolio includes:
Elizabeth Del Socor Altamirano Gómez ( Butcher Shop, Nicaragua)
Grace Nsamba’s Group ( Livestock, Uganda)

The Kiva.org microlending process is free, and can be accessed from any internet-enabled computer. They are really catching on, too. So much so that they have a temporary limit on the amount of money you can contribute to any one microloan — $25.00.

But merely by foregoing the interest you would have earned on that $25 for a year (comes to 75 cents at a savings account rate of 3%) you can, from your desk, make a real difference to a family who will probably never worry about whether they should buy a new car, camera or the newest gadget.

Please take a minute and have a look at their site to see if this is something that interests you: Kiva.org.

Thanks!

Jean

The good folks at Help-Portrait have added two new videos that are to be included in their new web site that is schedules to go live today. These videos will clearly show what the HP movement is about.

Enjoy!

Help-Portrait from Jean Labelle on Vimeo.

Help-Portrait:: What It Is from Jean Labelle on Vimeo.