" Portraits of Hope" for Families in Transition
Local Photography Studios Donate Gift of Family Unity

  SAN DIEGO — Sixty-three families at St. Vincent de Paul Village will be offered a unique steppingstone in their efforts to regain their dignity as Elite Photography and Visual Poetry will take heirloom-quality portraits of each family on Tuesday, December 2, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Village, located at 1501 Imperial Avenue. Media interested in covering the day’s festivities are encouraged to arrive between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., the event’s busiest hours.

   On that day volunteers from the portrait studios will set up shop at St. Vincent’s, offering Village families an opportunity which would otherwise be unavailable.

   "There are financial boundaries which don’t allow our families to enjoy certain extras in life," says Father Joe Carroll, Village president. "Elite Photography and Visual Poetry providing these portraits free of charge allows our residents to capture this moment in their lives, a milestone on the road to self-sufficiency."

   He says last year’s event went a long way to restoring the dignity lost to life on the streets and anticipates this year’s portraits will have a similar impact.

   "As the make-up was applied and their hair was styled, you could see the disbelief giving way to smiles and laughter," he says. "For that moment, as they were being pampered, you could see they realized there was reason to hope – it rekindled the dignity which had been lost to hopelessness."

   In addition to the photography volunteers, make-up artists and hair stylists will pamper the families and items from the studios’ wardrobe collection will be available to the residents for their portrait session. Volunteers from the Rotary Club of Torrey Pines, which is covering part of the cost of the event, will also be on hand.

   Each portrait package, valued at over $250, will include one large picture and several smaller prints. The packages are expected to be returned to Village families just before the Christmas holiday.

   For more information on the fifth annual "Portraits of Hope" event, please call (619) 446-2726.

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