Category Archives: Giving Back

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What an honor… Featured on Help Portrait

February 11, 2013 – 7:49 pm

Help Portrait, Philadelphia
Story of the Day: The Chosen 300 Location in Philadelphia
Jason and Sandy Edelstein, Chosen 300 Location, Philadelphia, USA:

The 300 Location was one of 7 Help-Portrait locations in Philadelphia. Around 20 volunteers helped provide photographs for 128 people. What was so special about this event was that we really brought the next generation of charitable photographers along.

My son Jason has grown up with a camera in his hand and face (literally as I’m a Philly based photographer). He had 3 of his friends, who are all very interested in photography as well as being very charitable kids used to giving back every opportunity they have, come along with us to this year’s Help- Portrait. It was incredible to see four 16 & 17 year-old kids completely blown away by how great it felt to do something for someone else. Teenagers are typically portrayed as selfish but these kids truly got it, and I do believe the experience changed each of them.

We have decided as a group to go back to the shelter as often as possible and volunteer to deliver dinners to the people of the shelter. Just another way Help Portrait is impacting people, but in this case it’s the next generation and that in my opinion is where real change can happen, they are after all our future.

This week Jason brought up a good point, and one I hadn’t thought about before. He said, ” what’s so incredible about Help-Portrait is that you get to see immediately how you have impacted someone else’s life. With other charity and volunteer efforts you might never get the chance to see how your time, money, or efforts impacted someone. With Help-Portrait the reward is instant. The second you show them their picture, you see their eyes light up, and you can tell that they now feel valued and important. You know right away that you have impacted someone’s life for the better.”

Pictured here are Jason and his three friends:

In addition to helping out, Jason also did the filming, audio, and editing for this video. Please take the time to watch the video and hear some of the other ways this Help-Portrait event has impacted our community.
click here to see the video ➙: Help Portrait, Philadelphia

By Sandy Edelstein | Also posted in awards and accolades, Charity, Philadelphia children's photographer, Philadelphia events | Tagged | Comments (0)

One of the most rewarding things I do with my photography… Moments Caught Photography shoots Komen Race for the cure

May 25, 2012 – 3:09 pm

This was my 8th year shooting the Philadelphia Susan G. Komen Race for the cure and every year it gets better and more rewarding. This year they added something new “Kids for the Cure” you know I was in heaven since taking pictures of children is really my true calling. Capturing the children’s pride in helping with something so important and their joy in just being outside with so much going on is second nature to me. I’m not sure I can even put into words what the experience is like for me but I will try.

My favorite moments are always on the stairs of the art museum with all of the survivors as they are getting ready to walk arm in arm in the “parade of pink”. After 8 years; I have developed real friendships with many of these incredible survivors. I know their stories, I know their families and year after year when we see each other on those steps it’s an affirmation of everything unspoken. We just about run into each others arms with a big heart felt hug and more often then not tears start flowing. The knowledge that another year has passed and they are still here is not lost on any of us. These women are still fighting for their life, still beating this terrible disease and still living every moment with a new kind of appreciation.

Who am I? Just the photographer who try’s to capture what they are feeling, their vulnerability,their strength, their hopes and their fears. I’m also a women with family members who have also fought cancer and I’m all too aware that I am not immune. Aware that in my own lifetime, myself or someone dear to me will have to face what they have. These women stand for strength, courage and beauty to me and hopefully they see in my eyes the respect, admiration and genuine caring I have for each of them. I’m a mother myself and on mothers day rather then sleep in and spend the time with my own children… well truly their is nowhere I would rather be then with all of these survivors who inspire me daily. I only hope that if my feelings aren’t shown in the tears in my eyes as they descend the steps or in the exchange between us as we meet again year after year; that somehow they are shown in the images I take.

By Sandy Edelstein | Also posted in Philadelphia attractions, Philadelphia events | Tagged , , | Comments (1)

Have to do it… Moments Caught Photography gets caught up in the KONY 2012 movement… Philadelphia photographer takes action with KONY 2012

March 7, 2012 – 11:36 am

I can’t help myself, I admit I’m easily moved. Even more easily moved when my children are the ones who bring something that they care about to my attention as is the case with KONY 2012. We watched the video below as a family, and all felt the same thing… what can we do? You know that frustrating feeling when you care about something so much and for a few minutes think you can be the answer only to a few moments later realize that you have a list a mile long of things that need doing and your just one little person after all. This was different, the call to action was something we all (and especially children) do as easily as breathing these days. Go on facebook, go on twitter, post on your blog, on your tumbler or what ever the next big place to relate to other with happens to be. I can do that… I’m a photographer with 3,000 plus photographer “friends” across the world. I belong to groups, forums, I have clients, family and friends who follow me. No brainer, right? The call to action is simple make this horrific excuse for a man with no respect for human rights let along human beings who chooses to target children; and make him famous. Not famous like Brad Pitt, but famous for his ugliness for his crimes so that we can stop him for good. How… simple, spread the word, spread the video, post away, link to this blog post, link to the next person’s tumbler etc. etc. etc…
KONY 2012
http://vimeo.com/37119711

You know… my entire being is wrapped up in loving, appreciating, observing and documenting children. More specifically documenting that rare adoration and connection in families. We all don’t have perfect families, or perfect children, but the universal theme in my work and life is appreciating the small things, knowing what really matters, trying to hold on to these precious fleeting years with our children young and carefree, as well as the hope we invest in our children for their future. This man chooses instead to rob these children and families of even the basic joy of a child going to sleep knowing they are loved. I couldn’t agree with my own children more, we must do something and this time we know what to do… Please watch the video (yes, it’s 30 minutes but well worth it) and spread the word any way you can. That’s all, it’s that easy. “Awareness turns into action”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc

By Sandy Edelstein | Also posted in Charity, personal | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Inspired beyond words by L.E.A.D UGANDA children… Philadelphia family photographer giving back…

December 24, 2009 – 2:17 pm

Where to begin? I had the privilege of hearing the children of L.E.A.D UGANDA speak to a class of 8th graders at my son’s school last week. This program started and lead by photojournalist Stephen Shames, helps to transform children affected by AIDS and war in Africa into leaders. From the website, “LEAD Uganda is an educational leadership initiative for children affected by AIDS, war, and poverty. We find children living on the edges of society – AIDS orphans, former child soldiers, child laborers. We give them the world class, 21st century skills necessary to lead Africa into the future”.
I urge you to visit the website, hear their stories and donate if you are so moved. http://www.leaduganda.org/

From my point of view I feel I must help out. 2 of the children who have benefited from this organization came to our school to talk to their peers about their experience. Each child got up and told their own unique life story, and then took questions from the students. Now keep in mind these kids are their own age, but obviously come from a very different background. They told of loosing parents to AIDS at age 10 and being in charge of younger siblings from that point on, they told of being stolen in the middle of the night from their families and forced to kill in wars at age 7, of being branded, and cut by hot knives as a means of torture into submission. The one young man led other youngsters out of capture at the age of 8! I sat their listening with tears in my eyes and my mouth hanging open in shock. My own boys at 12 and 14 can barely boil water for pasta let alone care for a family in poverty or escape torturers in a war situation. These are true heros, true leaders and true inspiration. What happened next only touched me more, the 8th graders spent the next hour asking important, sensitive, thought provoking questions and guess what these kids were getting it. After the presentation was over the kids from Uganda were swarmed with kids wanting to talk more, to tell them how much they respected them, to get their autographs!! Next several of our kids had lunch with the kids from Uganda and got to know them even more, at the end of their lunch there were tears, hugs, promises of friendship even an exchange of emails and facebooks. One boy from our school looked at me and said, ” I can’t believe I complained about having to go to school and homework and to these kids being able to go to school is a privilege and a dream”. Wow, I thought, these kids think they got something special today to visit a school in the U.S and see kids their age, but I know that our kids got so much more out of this than they ever could. What you will see in the pictures below of the kids from Uganda connecting with the kids from here is not only acceptance, friendship and bonding but the faces of leadership, the faces of resilience and of hope. In each of these children’s eyes is joy! After everything they have been through (torture, war, being orphaned, AIDS, poverty, etc) they have pure joy and hope in their eyes! Wow! Well I was so moved by this that I decided to help out in a small way for now. One of my dreams is to someday, somehow help change the world through photography. My part here may not change the world but it’s a start. My hope is to someday visit these children and do more, but for now starting January 1st a portion of every session fee will be going to L.E.A.D Uganda.

By Sandy Edelstein | Also posted in Charity | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

In the spirit of full disclosure, or partial anyway!

June 27, 2008 – 4:09 pm

I had a totally new experience the other day and loved it!  I was asked to speak on a local business radio show about photography and more specifically the marketing of Photography.  The station is WWDB 860 AM and the show is called The Marketing of Business.  I have to admit I was scared to death to do it, I don’t love my voice and I speak very fast even when I’m not nervous.  Their were 2 other artists there as well and we ended up having a blast together.  I think we all forgot our nerves and just felt like we were a bunch of girls out to lunch.  The host Sue Rhoades was great at putting us all at ease and so full of personality I told her she should consider a career in comedy.  If you have a chance check out the other 2 women’s work you should.  One is a pet photographer who is in the process of writing an a-z book about dogs, she is unbelievably talented and has a true passion for animals she even has a bed and bisquit (get it like bed and breakfast but for dogs).  Her name is Stacy Morgan and her website is: The other talented, fun woman is Mary Dima and her business (I should say art and passion because that is how I think she views it) is Daroo Designs. Mary paints murals, furniture, she is equally talented at faux as she is at decorative painting. I was blown away by some of the design work she has done. Her work is being shown at the Cape May designer Show house and you can find out all about that and her art by going to her website at: www.daroodesigns.com
So you may be wondering where the partial disclosure comes in, well I have no idea how I really did sound and so I’m not telling any of you when this radio show will air just in case my worst fears are true. I’m only sharing that I did this and that I met these fabulous women who you should know about. Sorry, a girl has a right to keep some things to herself. Oh, and sorry no picture with this one, I didn’t bring my camera.

Edited to add that if you want to visit Mary’s business Daroo Design you may have to actually enter www.daroodesigns.com into the address bar because I seem to be inept at putting 2 links in a post so only staymor.com is clickable. I promise my photography skills are better than my blogging skills.

 

By Sandy Edelstein | Also posted in awards and accolades, personal, Philadelphia events | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

A wonderful day, a wonderful cause… kids4kids

May 24, 2008 – 12:15 am

I had the honor of photographing an incredible day of giving back.  What is most special about this organization is it’s a children’s charity given by kids and benefiting kids  (hence the name kids4kids).

This was a good old fashioned carnival that the children planned and helped run and the money raised goes to the palative care unit at CHOP and Camp Erin (a grief camp for kids who have lost a parent).  It was a win win for everyone because the children involved learned all about the meaning of giving back and how good it can feel to do something for someone else.  The day was a huge success on every level, the children worked so hard to make this day just right, and should feel very proud of their accomplishment.  

Here are links to kids4kids and there parent organization Ashley’s angels:  http://ashleysangels.org/ http://ashleysangels.org/kids4kids/default.asp   Go check them out to get inspired.  Here are some highlights of the day.  

By Sandy Edelstein | Also posted in Charity, children's photography, family photos, photojournalism | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (1)

I was given a Mother’s Day honor!

May 13, 2008 – 1:52 pm

Mothers day I had the honor of photographing The Race For the Cure in Philadelphia for the Susan G Komen organization. I have participated in this race for years, but got even more out of it as a photographer. Instead of walking alongside everyone, my camera really let me in to these people’s lives and hearts. I met some very inspirational people, and it was a true honor to be able to photograph them empowered by the group, and hope for a cure.  I hope to contribute in this way every year from now on.  Here are a few images from the day, so you can get the feel of the event.  

By Sandy Edelstein | Also posted in Charity, personal, photojournalism | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (1)
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