The extended deadline submission for The Taking Focus BIPOC grant will finally come to a close on March 18th. This photo grant will go to a BIPOC photographer whose work focuses on racial injustice in the United States. As a documentary photographer you may be telling a personal story, you may be telling the story of your community. This is an opportunity to not only share your voice, but an opportunity to be a part of the change. The TF Giving Back Component is what helps make that possible. Never think that your work can not create change. Your work will always have an effect on someone.
Here are the submission details for our $2,500 BIPOC Grant
Welcome to the new version of the Taking Focus website. This is a cosmetic update in many ways, but we are laying the groundwork for greater changes. We are excited to be working on new projects while maintaining our commitment to our mission.
The Taking Focus Team has remained quite for a bit as we reorganized our look and feel. Keep an eye on this space for updates in the near future.
{All images on this post are the exclusive property of Jennifer Kaczmarek and are protected under the United States and International Copyright laws. The images may not be reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without the written permission of Jennifer Kaczmarek. Use of any image as the basis for another photographic concept or illustration (digital, artist rendering or alike) is a violation of the United States and International Copyright laws. All images are copyrighted @2016 Jennifer Kaczmarek}
Christmas is around the corner, and great importance to the Vanhouttes is that their three children will have a Christmas this year. Please consider donating $10 dollars!
{All images on this post are the exclusive property of Jennifer Kaczmarek and are protected under the United States and International Copyright laws. The images may not be reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without the written permission of Jennifer Kaczmarek. Use of any image as the basis for another photographic concept or illustration (digital, artist rendering or alike) is a violation of the United States and International Copyright laws. All images are copyrighted @2016 Jennifer Kaczmarek}
Recapping this week. If you missed the great feature in the News Journal please check it out! Thanks again to journalist Lacey McLaughlin for doing such a FANTASTIC job!
Click Here to see the full article online.
I am honored and excited to join the Taking Focus team as the Multimedia Director. I have worked with Love For Alyssa in the past, so the development of Taking Focus has been very dear to me over the past few years. I am looking forward to all of the things Taking Focus will be developing.
One of my goals as a visual storyteller has been to bring a sense of balance to all of what I do. As a graduate candidate at the Syracuse University, I have spent my time further developing stories about underprivileged individuals and families. I am very exited to bring my experiences as a photographer and editor to the team.
One of the projects that I am currently working on is a story about the juvenile justice system in the state of NY. I am currently telling the story of James, who is currently under house arrest but is trying to make changes in his life. For James, producing hip-hop is a driving force in his life—a skill he is developing as a positive outlet under the guidance of his mentor Hasan. This project will develop over the next few months with several aspects.
For more information about me or my work please visit www.greenephoto.com
{All images on this post are the exclusive property of Jennifer Kaczmarek and are protected under the United States and International Copyright laws. The images may not be reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without the written permission of Jennifer Kaczmarek. Use of any image as the basis for another photographic concept or illustration (digital, artist rendering or alike) is a violation of the United States and International Copyright laws. All images are copyrighted @2016 Jennifer Kaczmarek}
Survived 14 months with no car, with 3 children
On the evening of February 18, 2013, I was just getting into my car when my cell phone rang with such astounding news. Elizabeth Coberg was on the line telling me that she had a car to donate to the Vanhoutte family. The news was so amazing and unexpected. The initial shock left me frozen, I may have come across sounding ungrateful because I could not, at that moment, find the words to speak. The information was slowly registering .
The timing of her call was perfect, I was just heading over to the Vanhoutte’s to have cake with them to celebrate Tyler turning 15. It was in his card that I delivered the news.
Mr. and Mrs. Fadi Coberg and their son Daniel attend the same church as I, Trinity Presbyterian. This is the family that changed the lives of the Vanhouttes with the donation of their vehicle.
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Tyler Vanhoutte, age 15
"Keep the Light On" 3/20/13
Samantha (aka Sam) Vanhoutte, age 11
"Keep the Light On" 3/20/13
Cody Vanhoutte, age 13
"Keep the Light On" 3/20/13
{All images on this post are the exclusive property of Jennifer Kaczmarek and are protected under the United States and International Copyright laws. The images may not be reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without the written permission of Jennifer Kaczmarek. Use of any image as the basis for another photographic concept or illustration (digital, artist rendering or alike) is a violation of the United States and International Copyright laws. All images are copyrighted @2016 Jennifer Kaczmarek}
Tyler’s favorite thing to do is fish, especially at night. This is his big escape from all things.
Yesterday, Alison met with a neurosurgeon to discuss the next steps. She will be heading back to Shands hospital to have more extensive scans done to her spine to see if the number of tumors have increased in size and/or multiplied. She will also be meeting with another neurologist that specializes on the brain to discuss the problems that have arisen.
I am having a meeting tomorrow afternoon that I will follow up with you all in my next post. I will also tell you about some amazing people that have thus far extended their hand.
Please stay tuned and donate if you can! They really need help at this time with travel expenses back and forth to Jacksonville and an upcoming trip to Gainesville for Tyler’s treatment.
We are also raising funds for their rent and to help them get set up with an online home-based job. They truly need your help, please consider!
{All images on this post are the exclusive property of Jennifer Kaczmarek and are protected under the United States and International Copyright laws. The images may not be reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without the written permission of Jennifer Kaczmarek. Use of any image as the basis for another photographic concept or illustration (digital, artist rendering or alike) is a violation of the United States and International Copyright laws. All images are copyrighted @2016 Jennifer Kaczmarek}
Their story began like so many; life was good and living the quintessential American dream of a middle class family, but life took a sudden turn…
I want you to know that this could easily be my family or your family. “Over the course of the past couple of years, it has been one misfortune after the next,” they say. They have no idea how they have reached this point or why they are enduring layer after layer of such intolerable hardships. It is difficult to see and hear their deep felt thoughts and feelings. Even more so, it is hard to hear them say that there are days they just want to throw in the towel.
At age 39 the mother, Alison, discovered that there were several tumors growing on her spine, a tumor on her ovaries, and white matter change on her brain.
The father, Kendall, tries to keep it all together, but over a year ago he lost his job after having to care for his ailing wife. The effects of no income have resulted in the loss of their home and only car.
Alison is facing the risk of death or paralyzation in order to biopsy her tumors as the nerve roots are wrapped around these tumors to her spine, thus leaving her at this moment feeling very helpless and scared as the number of tumors continue to increase.
Alison and Kendall have three children; Tyler age 15, Cody who is 13, and Samantha who is 11.
Tyler was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis at age 10, a condition that was genetically passed down from Alison. When Kendall lost his job and lost his insurance, Tyler could no longer continue being seen at Arnold Palmer Children’s hospital in Orlando, FL.
Now that the family is receiving Medicaid, the closest hospital to assist Tyler is Shands Hospital in Gainesville, FL. Tyler has not yet been able get to Shands because of the loss of transportation. It has now been over a year since Tyler has not been able to receive the 5 shots a week that he needs.
Before Alison became ill, she was someone who devoted so much of her time helping others. I told her, “This is a full circle moment.”
I am hoping this story connects with you, would you please be able to make even a small difference, their needs are immediate. They are in need of financial support and prayers.
Over the past couple of months I have been trying to connect the dots, and just last week an extraordinarily generous couple donated one of their vehicles. More to that story later.
The most pressing expenses that the family are presently facing include rent, car insurance, setting up Kendal with a home based job, and daily necessities for the children.
There is much to this story that will unveil through time. Please help us as we are Taking Focus with this extraordinary family.
All donations are tax deductible. Please consider a donation.
Share this with others. Thank you so much!
Sincerely,
Jennifer Kaczmarek
{All images on this post are the exclusive property of Jennifer Kaczmarek and are protected under the United States and International Copyright laws. The images may not be reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without the written permission of Jennifer Kaczmarek. Use of any image as the basis for another photographic concept or illustration (digital, artist rendering or alike) is a violation of the United States and International Copyright laws. All images are copyrighted @2016 Jennifer Kaczmarek}
Riley Kuiper, Flagler Beach,FL. December 2011
Riley Kuiper is 8yrs old and autistic. Riley's mom is a friend of mine who I met through my journey with Love for Alyssa. She is a special person, we had not known each other before and she did not know Alyssa either. Jennifer even teaches at Flagler High School in Palm Coast, FL., at the same school that Alyssa's father teaches, though they did not really know one-another. Jennifer had learned through the local paper about Love for Alyssa and reached out to assist.
Besides being so generous, she also began helping with different fundraisers. I'm so thankfully to her for all she has done and grateful to have been able to meet someone as caring and giving as she.
I first met Riley last year when I took the above photograph. I asked Jennifer if she wouldn't mind me posting his photos and telling about him because I just think he is one of the coolest kids, but then I thought it would be much better to hear a little about him through her words. I'm glad I suggested that because I learned so much more about him and so much more about her. Now I've come to understand why this special person appeared out of nowhere to lend a helping hand.
I wanted to publish her story because my goal is always the hope that at least one person is being reached. I truly believe sharing her journey will connect with somebody. The road is not an easy one, but being proactive in a childs life that faces many challenges will make a world of difference for them in the years to come.
~JK
This image captures Riley's personality perfectly. He's always happy,and always ready to make you laugh. December 2012
A Child's Journey to Discover His Voice While Battling Developmental Delays and Autism--Riley's Story
(If any of you know anyone who has a child with autism or developmental delays, please feel free to pass on this story of my experience with my son. There are a lot of people out there who need help when their child doesn't seem to be making the progress of other children.)
My son Riley was born on a glorious morning in May in 2004. He was perfect, though I did have a rough labor and delivery. He was such a good baby. He ate and slept with regularity, though he did despise laying flat on his back. I remember spending many nights checking on him to make sure he didn’t roll completely onto his stomach. I swear he smiled the day he was born. He always made eye contact and loved peek-a-boo. I didn’t realize there was a problem until he was closer to two. He never had any major illnesses, but he just did not talk at all. He could make sounds like ga-ga and ba-ba, but he never assigned a sound to a person or object; for example, he could make the sound da-da, but he wouldn’t call his dad that. It was completely random. Most people told me, “Oh, he’s a boy. Boys talk late.” But I wanted to be sure. I told the pediatrician at the next visit that he wasn’t talking yet. I thank God to this day that he ordered a speech evaluation. He could have said the same thing as everyone else, and since my experience I’ve heard from many people whose pediatricians told them to wait--what a mistake that would have been. We went for a speech evaluation and found out that at two, Riley’s speech was equivalent to an eleven-month old. The therapist referred us to Early Steps, and it was there that we realized there could be a larger issue at hand. Riley went through another speech evaluation at Early Steps and he did certainly qualify for state-funded speech therapy. The child psychologist who evaluated him mentioned wanting to do a psychological evaluation once he was receiving therapy to rule out a pervasive developmental disorder because in addition to his lack of speech, Riley had other tell-tale signs like watching things spin for long periods of time, obsessively opening and closing doors, and turning the lights on and off. I didn’t even know what a pervasive developmental disorder was at that time though. My mother, who was there and who has always been a super-supportive mom and grandma, said, “Do you mean autism?” That’s when we learned about autism spectrum disorders. I didn’t even realize there was a spectrum. I have a cousin who is autistic and I thought that was the face of autism. Boy, have I learned a lot since then. There are many faces of autism. After Riley’s evaluation that day, I was completely distraught. I cried and cried. I went online and tried to find as much information as I could. As luck would have it, I logged into my county’s school forum and found a recent post about autism workshops that would be held at a local community college the very next day. I responded to the post begging for more information and received a reply within hours. That was when I first encountered Dr. Brian Abrams. He reassured me that this was in no way a “death sentence” for my son and encouraged me to attend the workshops. I jumped on it. My mom and I attended the next day and it was like a wave of calm settled over me. I got to meet Dr. Abrams, whose son has Asperger’s and who himself has autism, and I met Riley’s future speech therapist group there and learned about CARD, PECS, the GFCF diet, and more. I found hope for my son.
Riley Kuiper. December 2012
A couple of weeks later I met with an autism support group for the first time. Everyone was so wonderful with me. They gave me the support I needed to soldier on to help my son. Armed with all kinds of information, I got right to work. I scheduled an appointment with the speech therapist and also enrolled Riley into a daycare. Within weeks Riley was saying his first words. I credit his speech therapist with finding his voice and his classmates with guiding his behavior. Once he broke through the wall, the speech kept coming and coming. His speech therapist informed me that he made 15 months improvement over a period of 6 months. She no longer thought he needed speech, though she suggested he return in 6 months to be sure he was still improving. He stayed about the same and we’re due to go in again for another reevaluation. Eventually we re-enrolled with speech at school because he wasn’t improving. He needed to be taught how to speak. He was not able to pick it up naturally like other kids. I know this is somewhat controversial in special needs circles, but my ex-husband and I did not go for an autism diagnosis in those early years. It is now my biggest regret. Even though in my heart I knew I wanted to pursue a diagnosis, I didn’t fight for one because I didn’t feel I had the support of family, friends, colleagues, his therapists, and his doctors. The only people who thought I should pursue the diagnosis were my mom and the parents in the support group. And they were right. Everyone kept telling me he was doing so well and a label could cause his teachers and others to treat him differently. I do know that this is a risk. But as a parent I am his advocate for services he needs and I am also the one to inform others of his abilities, not just his disability. We decided to get the services he needed privately. This ended up being limited and a huge expense but it was worth the money to see our son improving everyday. With a diagnosis he would have been eligible for more services and it would have been covered by the state or by insurance. While I can’t change the past, I am able to help others advocate for their children. So if you’re a parent going through a similar situation right now, get an evaluation done. If there is a diagnosis of some kind, you will receive the services you need. Without a diagnosis you don’t have as many options.
Finally, once Riley entered first grade he was still making improvements but it was obvious that his social skills were lacking and he needed more accommodations in the classroom in addition to being pulled out for speech twice a week. His teacher encouraged us to have him tested, and this time everyone was onboard. We had evaluations done the summer after first grade and he was diagnosed with autism. This diagnosis opened up an array of services both at school and at our local Easter Seals. He now receives speech therapy and occupational therapy twice a week in school and more occupational therapy at Easter Seals after school twice a week. We will be starting social skills therapy using ABA with a behaviorist at Easter Seals in the coming months as well. And when it comes time to take the statewide standardized test this year, he will have multiple accommodations because of his diagnosis and IEP including testing in a less crowded setting, extra time, repeated directions, and task reminders. One day he may not need these accommodations and they can be removed, but in this era of high stakes testing it’s crucial for him to have them. Students who do not pass the FCAT get retained in their current grade. If Riley doesn’t pass, his teachers can put together a portfolio of his work showing that he is able to meet the standards so he can move on to fourth grade. This is all thanks to his diagnosis and his IEP.
For those of you who are now going through this ordeal, there is hope! Do all of the research you can, talk to as many people knowledgeable in this field as you can, and most importantly, continue working with your child even after the therapy sessions are over. Learn all you can from the therapists and mimic what you see them do with your child. A half hour twice a week by itself is helpful, but if you could double, triple, or quadruple that yourself, do it. It is well worth your time and energy.
Riley and Jennifer Kuiper. December 2011
Riley Kuiper. Flagler Beach. December 2011
Joseph at Wolfson Children's Hospital (Image courtesy of the Parthemore family)
On Christmas Eve our Joseph Parthemore contracted pneumonia causing both of his lungs to collapse. He was transported to Wolfson Children's Hospital in Jacksonville, FL. Doctors discovered he developed respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a certain characteristic of pneumonia. Since arriving to Wolfson's he has been heavily sedated and on a respirator.
On December 27th, thankfully, an X-ray showed improvement in his left lung.
As of today, Joseph remains sedated with the breathing tube until the infection passes and he can once again breath on his own. This is a very difficult time for his family, as Joseph's dad, Dan Parthemore said, "He does not wake up, so I'm not sure if he knows I am there. "
The little guy has missed Christmas, and his 3rd birthday is this Friday, January the 4th. Please keep Joseph and his family in your thoughts and prayers.
(We are postponing our fundraising walk sponsored by Flagler Beach Montessori that was to be scheduled for the end of January until Joseph is better.)
To keep everyone informed of our progress, the latest update about our transition is that we will be launching our new website along with our organization's new name within the next three weeks, so please be on the lookout! Sorry for the wait.
2012 has been a very humbling and inspiring year with many accomplishments and we look forward to making many more in 2013!
A little note about Alyssa, in Fall of this year she joined a cheerleading squad for children with disabilities. Her stepmother, Amy Hagstrom says she just loves it.
Another note, I had mentioned a few months back that Love for Alyssa was among one of the 200 finalists up for one of the 50 prestigious spots for Critical Mass 2012. I am thrilled to say that Love for Alyssa made the 50! Here is a link to the 50 Critical Mass winners of 2012. http://www.photolucida.org/cm_winners.php
Also, please have a look at Love for Alyssa on Photo Philanthropy. This is a wonderful organization that helps photographers connect with other non profits and showcases the work photographers have done for different organizations. http://photophilanthropy.org/gallery-posts/love-for-alyssa-i-am-beautiful-in-every-way/(Please feel free to facebook like and share with others!)
Lastly, please have a look at fotovisura. This is a great outlet that supports photography; allowing photographers to share all sorts of different projects with the rest of the photo community. http://www.fotovisura.com/user/jennifer6/view/love-for-alyssa(Please feel free to facebook like and share with others!)
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
{All images on this post are the exclusive property of Jennifer Kaczmarek and are protected under the United States and International Copyright laws. The images may not be reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without the written permission of Jennifer Kaczmarek. Use of any image as the basis for another photographic concept or illustration (digital, artist rendering or alike) is a violation of the United States and International Copyright laws. All images are copyrighted @2016 Jennifer Kaczmarek}
Yesterday morning I was able to spend some quality time with Joseph. He was still asleep when I arrived, which gave me some time to catch up with his mom, Leslie. I haven't seen Joseph since our exhibit in May, and being that he is still so little I was wondering how he would take to me. At the moment his eyes had opened, I was hovering over his crib admiring him. Thankfully he looked up at me with those sweet eyes ,without worry as though no time had passed at all. He proceeded to communicate with me through sign language, showing me his little stuff animal puppy.
On August 28, 2012, Joseph had the trach in his throat removed. Leslie said it should take six months for the hole to completely close. This is another huge feat he has conquered. I still can not believe the leaps and bounds he has made in the short time I have known him. One should never underestimate these children, they are so strong and can handle more than we think they can. They deserve every medical opportunity available out there that could potentially enhance their lives. Anything is possible. Joseph is proof of that. I feel privileged to know him, and I am very excited to see how is life unfolds.
Joseph still feeds through a G tube and it will be a long time before the tube can be removed, but he has been able to start with little tastes of mashed potatoes, yogurt, and baby food. This is an amazing step for this little guy.
Shortly after coming home from surgery Joseph caught a cold. "A challenge to deal with, but he's doing good.", Leslie said.
He was in great spirits. I asked him what he was going to be for Halloween and Leslie said for him to show me. He put on his hat, letting me know he is going to be a pirate. Leslie told him to show me his pirate face and he did. He had his whole movement down pat; a sharp move of his arm and a 'one eye willie'. I posted his adorable pics on our Facebook page. Check it out.
I wanted to share with everyone this email I received. Whenever I receive emails from others their encouragement completely brightens up my day. I should really share them more often.
But, this one came with a photo. This is Tatiana, and her mother Vanessa reached out to say, "My daughter Tatiana wanted me to share this picture with Alyssa she is a big fan of her."
I wrote back to thank her and give my words of appreciation, and in return Vanessa wrote, "Jennifer everything counts when you try and help out children like them because some people wont even give them the time of day. But what is most wonderful about my daughter and I'm sure Alyssa they are the happiest kids ever she doesn't let anything bring her down! She is ahead in all of her classes in school they have so much potential and people like you are what help them have even more confidence and faith in themselves. And for Tatiana to know there are other kids like her it makes her so happy it brings me to tears she always says they are going to be friends because they are the same. Keep up the good work I know they are very appreciative of you! God bless you!"
These are the words that keep one going.
"Feeling Free" 2012
Thrilled to see that my work, Love for Alyssa has made the finalist cut for Critical Mass 2012. It is an honor to be selected as one of the 200 finalists out of 756 talented entries from around the world. This gives us a great opportunity to have more eyes see what we are all about. Two hundred respected jurors in the photographic world will now decide the final 50 finalist. Wish us luck!
In other news, we are regrouping from the summer and tackling the need for a new name for our organization. The name Love for Alyssa will always remain the name of this project, for I will always have much love for Alyssa. As we said before, now that our organization has grown with Jerry and Robert, we are in need of a name that suits us a unit and as a global brand. This task of deciding a new name has not been easy. I am hoping that any day, really soon, something great will pop into one of our minds. When this happens we will be able to launch our new website and move forward, so that things can continue to fall into place.
It is pretty remarkable to think how far we have come and how much I have learned in a yr and half. The journey thus far has been challenging yet rewarding. It is all about staying the course, for I know nothing every comes easy.
In case you missed our latest news, we are now a 501c3 tax-deductible organization!
Please have a look at little Joseph's video down below if you haven't seen it yet.
Please share this video of 2-year-old Joseph Parthemore with others. We believe social media is an important outlet to funnel such important messages. Many thanks to documentary photographer and filmmaker Jason Greene for creating this video. Thank you so much for your friendship and sharing your talent. RECENT NEWS- we are happy to say that we are now a 501c3 tax-deductible organization!
If you would like to make a donation you may do so here - DONATION
If you missed our CNN feature, the links are down below.
Thank you and please share with others.
Today is very exciting for us, CNN is featuring Love for Alyssa. Much thanks and appreciation goes to CNN's Brett Roegiers. CNN PHOTOS has 12 images and an interview- http://cnnphotos.blogs.cnn.com/category/jennifer-kaczmarek/
IN AMERICA - http://inamerica.blogs.cnn.com/2012/07/02/photos-love-for-alyssa-still-grows/
CNN HEALTH- http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2012/07/02/love-for-alyssa-examining-arthrogryposis/
