Project 365 – Day 129
December 12, 2009
“Help-Portrait, Behind The Scenes”
Finally. After almost three months organizing the NYC event, it happened. The last few days before Help-Portrait were totally insane. So many emails and phone calls to answer, it really became a full time job. Between staffing locations, working with the media and making sure everyone had a well defined role, I didn’t get much time to rest. Then Saturday came, the culmination of so many efforts from such a great group of volunteers. In New York City alone, we had 138 volunteers at 8 locations, some of them in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and the Bronx.
I was at CCM Wallerstein, in the Bronx. I don’t know how I could sum up the day… it was really great. Great to see people motivated to give their time, talent and expertise for a good cause. Great to see the smiles they put on the faces of the people who had their portraits taken. CNN and CBS covered the event. I actually recommend you watch the stories they made of the day. I took this photograph as CBS’s reporter Manuel Gallegus was delivering his line. In the back, Heraldo Gabriel is taking portraits.
Most importantly, this will not be just a one-time event. While Help-Portrait will probably happen each year from now on, many volunteers have been expressing a strong interest to reiterate its spirit on a more regular basis, which is wonderful. Count me in.
CNN’s coverage: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/US/12/14/photo.shoot.help.portrait/
CBS’s coverage: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5975791n
Daily News article: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2009/12/06/2009-12-06_fotogs_shoot_picmeup_pix_for_citys_poor.html
Like it.
Fraternal greetings from Cork Ireland Jerome. I admire your succinct, perfectly formed, blogpost.
I’m a bit in awe of the scale of what you achieved but I guess NYC is slightly larger than Cork City.
You pulled it all together? Was it you who clung to the vision and helped all to share in it? You who cared for the risks, and made sure they never transpired? You who led the celebrations?
If you did any of these things, you are invited to come visit us in Cork Ireland. Whenever you venture over to Europe – even if that be in 20 years – you’ll find people here keen to meet up with you and natter about the good that is encapsulated in Help-Portrait.
Congratulations again. I guess we have collectively generated enough ‘material’ to fill up all those winter hours, distract us from the temptation to slump out over Christmas and New Year.
@omaniblog
@Ruprecht
@Paul O’Mahony (Cork)
Greetings Paul! And thank you. Taking credit for all that happened in NYC would be disingenuous. However, I did create the group. I also had the time to handle its organization, so one thing led to another and I became the official contact in NYC. It was a great experience. I met many passionate individuals who helped make it happen in their own local communities, some of them that I now call friends. Once the ball got rolling, it was very much of a shared effort. Nevertheless, there were quite a few extra responsibilities that fell upon me, which I gladly obliged to. I would do it all again in a heartbeat.
I would love to visit Ireland. Should you come to New York City, you are also naturally welcome. Actually, there’s a high probability that I will be handling Help-Portrait in Paris next year, which makes it closer. After more than eight years in the States, it’s now time to go back home. And you are right. The spirit of Help-Portrait shall never die. It’s up to us to make sure it stays alive and well.
It never crossed my mind that you’d take or deserve credit for all NYC HelpPortrait. I’m sure even Jeremy Cowart wouldn’t either.
It was such a magnificently multi-layered movement.
I started the ball rolling in Cork, but if it wasn’t for RogerOverall & TanjaBuwalda nothing would have happened at all.
Like you, I’ve made many new friends here in Cork and internationally through this work. Paris is just round the corner from here. I don’t think we’ll have to do much to keep this alive. It’s bigger than all of us.
It’s empowering and empowers.
Have a great remaining time in NYC and move on.
Paul @omaniblog
Je trouve ce projet assez sympa et ta photo est plutôt bien réalisé car elle le résume bien
! J’ai effectivement vu sur le site qu’il y avait une association qui s’en occupait aussi dans le 93. Tu comptes revenir définitivement en France donc ?
@Paul O’Mahony (Cork)
I just came back from a Christmas Carol service organized by the group in Queens. The portraits were handed out and children received gifts from the volunteers. A great time for all those families. It’s amazing to see what can be achieved in such little time when everyone involved is really committed to make it happen. And yes, I definitely intend to make the best out of my remaining time in NYC.
@Aurélien Desmars
Je ne sais pas s’il s’agit du même groupe, mais j’avais mis celui de Paris en relation avec CNN deux jours avant le jour J. Apparemment ils n’étaient pas très préparés… peu de motivation dans les rangs français, ce qui est bien dommage. Je changerai ça si j’y suis l’année prochaine. Oui, cela fait un bon moment que je songe à revenir en France… pour de nombreuses raisons qu’il me serait un peu difficile d’exprimer sur ce blog.