Joplin Smile!
I saw a survivor of the May 22nd Joplin tornado on the news a while back, who said that the day of the tornado, their life was paused. Nothing could take place because of the devastation. The thing that stuck with me was when she said that she was so desperate to hit the play button and get back to life; to move on and put the tornado in the past.
That’s what we’re trying to help the Joplin residents achieve with Joplin Smile!
Joplin Smile! is made up of large group of professional photographers from the Kansas City, Columbia, Springfield, Branson, and Joplin areas who have banded together to donate portrait sessions for the families who have lost everything. These are 100% free photo sessions that include a CD of high resolution images from their time with these incredible photographers. There’s no catch, Joplin residents won’t be asked to spend a dime on these portraits. The available session dates and times span from August 1st through October 30th, so everyone can choose dates that work best for them.
If you know anyone who was affected by the tornado, please send them to the Joplin Smile! website at www.joplinsmile.com. The photographers on our team (who you can see on the website) are set on helping these individuals, couples, and families move forward by creating new memories, and bring some joy back into their lives.
You can be a part of our team by spreading the word! Tell everyone you know about our effort and become a fan of Joplin Smile! on our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/JoplinSmile. If you want to help out financially, you can purchase a Joplin Smile! T-Shirt on our website.
Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we reach out to these folks. They have been through so much! Even though we can’t give back what they had, we hope to provide encouragement that will help them take the next step to restoration.