By Melinda Worthington, Celebrating Adoption participating photographer/MJW Photography
Not so long ago I was looking for a way to use my talent to give back. I wanted to participate in something meaningful that would help in the local community. I stumbled across Celebrating Adoption, an organization of professional photographers dedicated to promoting adoption. Perfect. As a huge believer in adoption I knew this was it.
There are so many children that need loving homes, both here in NWA and abroad that sometimes it’s just too overwhelming to think about. It seems there is a lot of fear in adopting: fear that the birth mother will change her mind, fear that older children will not be well adjusted, fear that it takes forever and costs a fortune. If you have been thinking about adoption but have some of these fears, here is a link to some Myths and Realities of adoption.
Celebrating Adoption came about when a single photographer was asked to document a family’s journey through their adoption process. Jenifer Samaha says [on her website] “I wanted to celebrate with this family when they brought their new baby home so I offered a free session.”
Soon more families with adopted infants, children and teens came to her for a session. Jenifer says this is when the idea for Celebrating Adoption began to form in her mind.
Photographers across the country have asked to be a part of this amazing organization and today there are over 280 participating including photographers in Canada and Australia! Many of these participating photographers have adopted children themselves. Here in Arkansas we have just 3 participating photographers, and I would love to see more join.
So what exactly does this organization offer? Well, if you’ve adopted a child [birth through 18 years] and it has been less than a year since the adoption, you qualify for a free session along with a free set of your proofs! This is an amazing way to celebrate the new addition to your family. If you or someone you know qualifies for one of these sessions pass this information along to them, wherever they may live.
You can find a participating photographer by looking in the FIND A PHOTOGRAPHER section of Celebrating Adoption.
