08 Mar Our Neighbor Uses Her Gifts To Help
About Face Charlotte’s goal is to connect compassion to action. As Scott Gardner, co – founder of About Face Charlotte says “There is magic in reaching out and helping others. It nourishes the deepest part of ourselves. It fills holes, eases pain, and makes us feel like we are flying. By helping others we heal ourselves. And it resonates outward.”
International and Local Photographer Wanda Koch recently shared her insights on uniting compassionate acts with the passion she has for photography.
Wanda shares, “I volunteer with ‘at risk’ children through A Child’s Place. I feel this is one way i can give back with the gifts I have been given. I started years ago when there were just a few children. I would mentor, read to, donate and I would bring along my camera and take pictures. The kids always wanted to talk about the camera and look at the photos of themselves. I found that just bringing my camera out opened them up. They would laugh, the children would grow more childlike. With the camera I could make a connection. From my own experience with abuse, I can almost read a child’s face and know what’s coming up. The kids who won’t smile or even look at you, I know those are the ones that are the worse off.
We all want to feel loved and if one person can make someone feel ’seen’ and give that feeling to another, it causes a ‘ripple effect’. Many of these kid’s families cannot afford a school picture. The pictures I take are given to them so that they can enjoy them and take a copy home to someone they love. Those are the ripples, that they look at these images years later and think “I mattered that day”.
About Face Charlotte is hoping YOU will find your gifts and talents and use them to help others in need in our community like Wanda! What are you good at? What talents or gifts do you have and how can they help others? Visit our ACTION page and see how you can Step In To Your Giving!
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